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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



TYROCINIUM RELIGIOSUM, 



OR 



SCHOOL OF RELIGIOUS PERFECTION, 

BASED UPON, THE! T 

JLE^alJgfeNED 
MOTOHIHfiAW 



7 



BY 



GILES BABTSCHEREK, Abbot. 




■<r c £\ 

A** I 

Revised and Translated from the Latin 

by ' -■'.: '. 

p. vincent hubee, o. s. b. 



ST. VINCENT ARCHABBEY PRINT. 
1896. 






A 



> $ 



The Library 
of Congress 

washington 



Entered according to Act of Congress, on the 23rd day 

of January in the year 1896, by 

P. VINCENT HUBER, 

At the office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C. 



Nihil Obstat: 



Rev. A. A. LAMBENT G, 

Censor Librorum. 



IMPRIMATUR: 



f E. PHELA^, 

Ejpisc. Pittsb. 



IMPEIMI PERMITTIMUS: 

LEAKDEK SCH^EEK, 

Archiabbas. 

Die 10. Eebruarii, 1896. 

Festo Stse Scholastics. 



PREFACE. 




E hope that this little work 
2 will meet with a hearty wel- 
come on the part of many 
>(5 religious communities of both 
sexes. In the English language 
there is a dearth of books of 
this kind. There are some 
admirable ascetical works, 
such as Rodriguez, Practice of Christian 
and Religious Perfection ; Scaramelli, Guide 
to the Spiritual Life; Saint- Jure, Treatise 
on the Vows and Virtues of the Religious 
State, etc., but a compendious work was 
needed to serve as text book in the Novi- 
tiate — a small manual to accompany the 



VI 

Religious at all times. Such a compendium 
of ascetic theology is herewith offered. , In 
its manuscript form it has been used for 
many years in this Abbey as the text of 
instruction to the Novices. Two years ago 
it appeared in Latin print and now it is 
published in English that it may be 
servicable in those religious communities, 
in which it was not available in its original 
Latin form. 

We think it will be particularly accepta- 
ble to the numerous communities of Sisters 
in this country. Mistresses of Novices 
will find it a convenient guide in their 
instructions to aspirants to the religious 
life. 

The Tyrocinium is based upon the Holy 
Rule of S. Benedict. But as this Rule is 
the basis of all other religious rules, the 
School of Religious Perfection will be 
found well adapted to all Orders and Con- 
gregations existing in the Church. 

Whilst the work is primarily intended 
for such as have been called to the religi- 
ous state, the secular clergy, and even lay- 
men, who aspire to Christian perfection, 



VII 

will read and study it with much profit 
to their soitfs. 

The translation does not always adhere 
to the original text. Many things have 
been omitted and some changes and addi- 
tions have been made, which, it is hoped, 
will render the work more adapted and 
serviceable as a guide to perfection. 

That the unpretentious little work may 
intensify the flame of divine charity in 
the hearts of many readers, is the ardent 
prayer of the Translator. 

ST. VINCENT ARCHABBEY, 
Beatty, Pa. 

Feb. 17th, 1896. 

Octave of S. Scholastica. 



INDEX. 



PART I. 

PAGE. 

1. Nature of the Tyrocinium . . . 1 

2. Object of the Tyrocinium ... 2 

3. Means of obtaining- the object of the 

Tyrocinium ...... 3 

4. Aids and Obstacles to progress in the 

School of Perfection .... 5 

5. What the Novice should avoid and 

what he should observe during- the 
time of his Tyrocinium ... 6 

6. On the proper Intention, with which 

the Novice should enter upon his 
Tyrocinium ...... 8 

7. Characteristics of the true Novice . 9 



PART II. 
CHAPTER I. 

Manner of making Sacramental Con- 
fession ....... 12 

§ 1. Matter of- Sacramental Confession . 13 

2. Contrition . 14 

Necessity of Contrition ... 15 
Qualities of Contrition ... 16 
Purpose of Amendment and its Qual- 
ities 19 



IX 

PAGE 

§ 3. Sacramental Confession .... 20 

4. Sacramental Satisfaction ... 21 

5. Practical Manner of going- to Confes- 

sion . . . . . . .23 

6. General Confession ..... 25 

CHAPTER II. 

Holy Communion ..... 29 

§ 1. Preparation for Holy Communion . 29 

2. Actual Reception of Holy Communion 32 

3. After Holy Communion .... 36 

4. Spiritual Communion .... 38 

CHAPTER III. 

Manner of celebrating- and assisting- at 
Mass devoutly and of visiting- the 

Blessed Sacrament .... 39 

§ 1. Manner of celebrating- Mass ... 40 

2. Manner of assisting- at Mass . . 42 

3. Visit to the Blessed Sacrament . . 45 



CHAPTER IV, 



Prayer 

ARTICLE I. — Prayer in General 

1. Nature of Prayer 

2. Excellence of Prayer 

3. Usefulness of Prayer 

4. Necessity of Prayer 

5. Conditions of Prayer 

6. Impediments of Prayer 

7. What to do when we find ourselves dis- 

tracted in Prayer 



48 
49 
49 
50 
50 
52 
54 
56 

60 



ARTICLE II. — Vocal Prayer . .68 
§ 1. Nature and Division of Vocal Prayer . 68 
2. Antiquity of the Canonical Hours or 

Divine Office 69 



X 

PAGK 

§ 3. Dig-nity and Excellence of the Canoni- 
cal Office . . .... 72 

4. Utility of the Sacred Psalmody . . 76 

5. Intention, Devotion and Attention re- 

quired in the recitation* of the Divine 
Office 79 

6. Nature of the Internal Attention . . 85 

7. Aids for preserving- Attention . . 88 

8. External Devotion and Reverence dur- 

ing- Divine Office ..... 91 

ARTICLE III.— Mental Prayer or Medi- 
tation ....... 94 

§ 1. Nature of Meditation . . . .96 

2. Preparation for Meditation ... 99 

3. Exercise of the Memory .... 100 

4. Exercise of the Understanding- . . 102 

5. Exercise of the Will . . . .107 

6. Supplemental Parts of Meditation . 114 

7. Impediments to a g-ood Meditation and 

their Remedies 117 

ARTICLE IV.— Ejaculatory Prayers . 120 

CHAPTER V. 

Spiritual Reading 123 

§ 1. Necessity of Spiritual Reading- . . 124 

2. Manner of making- Spiritual Reading- . 127 

3. Suitable Books for Spiritual Reading: . 130 

4. Distribution of the books of the Old 

and New Testament for Spiritual 
Reading ...... 136 

CHAPTER VI, 

Daily Examination of Conscience. . 138 

ARTICLE I.— General Examination of 

Conscience ...... 140 

ARTICEE II.— Particular Examination 

of Conscience . . . . . 144 



XI 

PAGE 

§ 1. Nature and Utility of the Particular 
Examination and Method of making- 
it well 144 

2. Selection of Subject for the Particular 

Examen .148 

CHAPTER VII. 

Manifestation 152 

CHAPTER VHI. 

Religious Modesty 158 

§ 1. Nature of Religious Modesty . . 159 

2. Necessity of Religious Modesty . . 160 

3. General Rules of Religious Modesty . 166 

4. Special Rules of Religious Modesty . 168 

I. In Conversation .... 168 

II. At Table 175 

III. In the Dormitory . . .177 

IV. In the Cell 178 

PART III. 
CHAPTER 1, 

The Religious State . . . .181 

§ 1. Nature of the Religious State . . 181 
Inference ...... 184 

2. Dignity and Excellence of the Religi- 
ous State . . . * . . .184 
Practical Inferences . . . . 185 

CHAPTER II, 

Religious Perfection . . . . 186 
§ 1. Essence of Religious Perfection . . 186 
Practical Inferences .... 187 
2. Nature of that Charity which consti- 
tutes religious Perfection . . . 189 
Practical Inferences .... 190 



XII 



CHAPTER III. page 

Grave Obligation of striving- after Per- 
fection ....... 191 

1. Whether Religious are required to be 

actually perfect 191 

Practical Inferences . . . 192 

2. Whether Religious are obliged under 

mortal sin to strive after Religious 

Perfection 192 

Practical Inferences . . . . 193 

3. In what the Obligation of tending 

towards Perfection consists . . 194 

Practical Inferences . ' . . . 195 



PART IV- 

The Tripple Way . . . . . 200 
I. STAGE OF PURGATION . . 203 





CHAPTER I. 






Penance ...... 


204 


1. 


Nature of Penance ..... 


204 




• Inference 


207 


2. 


Necessity of Penance . . 


208 


3. 


Kinds of Penitential Works . 


209 


4, 


Motive of Penance . . . . . 

CHAPTER II. 


211 




Mortification 


217 




ARTICLE I. —Mortification in General 


218 


1. 


Nature of Mortification .... 


218 


2. 


Division of Mortification 


219 


3. 


Necessity of Mortification 


219 


4. 


Fruits of Mortification .... 
ARTICLE} II. — Mortification in Parti- 


222 




cular . . . . 


224 



XIII 

PAGE 
A. Interior Mortification . . . 224 

$ 1. Mortification of the Intellect . . 224 

2. Mortification of Self-will and Self-love 227 



3. Mortification of the Memory . 

4. Mortification of Unruly Passions . 

5. Mortification of Human Respect . 

B. Exterior Mortification . 

§ 1. Mortification of the Sense of Sight 

2. Mortification of the Sense of Hearing 

3. Mortification of the Sense of Taste 

4. Mortification of the Sense of Smell 

5. Mortification of the Sense of Touch 

6. Mortification of the Tong-ue . 



ARTICLE II. — Humility 

1. Nature of Humility . 

2. Necessity of Humility 

3. Additional Incentives to Humility 

4. Practice of True Humility 

A. Towards God . 

B. Towards Others . 

5. Signs of False Humility 



230 
232 

233 

236 

236 
237 
239 
240 
241 
242 



II. STAGE OF ILLUMINATION . 244 

CHAPTER I. 

§ 1. Nature of Virtue ..... 245 

2. Division of Virtues 247 

3. Manner of Developing Virtues . . 248 

CHAPTER II, 

ARTICLE I. — Particular Virtues . 250 
§ 1. Nature of Religious Zeal . . . 250 
2. Pure Intention in our Ordinary Actions 252 
2. How to Perform our Daily Duties Per- 
fectly 256 

4. Means of Performing our Dailv Duties 

Perfectlv . . . . . .258 



260 
260 
260 
262 
263 
263 
263 
265 



XIV 



PAGE 

ARTICLE III. — Perfect Conformity of 

our Will to the Will of God . . 266 

1. Nature of this Virtue . . ' 266 

2. Excellence and Necessity of this Virtue 267 

3. Motives to Acquire this Conformity . 268 

4. Practice and Degree of this Conformity 270 

ARTICLE IV. — Resolute Perseverance 

in Good . . ' 271 

ARTICLE V. — Synopsis of some other 
Virtue belonging- to the Stag-e of Il- 
lumination 272 

The Virtue of Religion . . . .272 
The Virtue of Prudence .... 274 

3. The Virtue of Justice . . . .275 

4. The Virtue of Temperance . . . 276 
The Virtue of Fortitude . . . .276 
The Virtue of Simplicity . . . 277 
The Virtue of Meekness .... 278 
Religious Friendship and Affability . 282 

III. STAGE OF UNION . . .284 

CHAPTER I. 

1. Union of the Memory with God . . 284 

2. Union of the Intellect with God through 

Faith 289 

3. Union of the Will with God through 

Charity 292 

PART V. 

The Religious Vows . . . .295 

CHAPTER L 

The Vow of Poverty . . . .296 

1. Essence of the Vow of Poverty^ . . 296 

2. Excellence of Religious Poverty . . 298 

3. Advantages of Religious Poverty . . 299 



XV 

PAGE 
§ 4. Obligations Resulting- from the Solemn 

Vow of Poverty 302 

5. What thing's a Religious may possess in 
his own right and name without vio- 
lating- the Vow of Poverty . . 307 

6- On the Permission required that a Re- 
ligious may receive or dispose of 
temporal g-oods without violating- the 
Vow of Poverty 308 

7. Superfluous Thing-s 311 

8. Degrees of Poverty 312 

9. Practice of Poverty in Dress . . 314 

10. Practice of Poverty in Diet . . . 315 

11. Practice of Poverty in Cell and Furni- 

ture . . . . . . 317 

CHAPTER II. 

The Vow of Chastity . . . .318 
§ 1. Nature of Religious Chastity . . 318 

2. Obligations assumed through the Vow 

of Chastity . . . . ■ . .319 

3. Principal Dangers to Chastity . . 320 

4. Means of Preserving Chastity . . 325 

5. How to behave when actually assailed 

by Temptations against Chastity . 329 

CHAPTER III. 

The Vow of Obedience . . . .332 
§ 1. Nature of Religious Obedience . . 332 

2. "Excellence of the Vow of Obedience . 333 

3. Efficacy of Religious Obedience . . 333 

4. Security and Peace of Soul Resulting 

from Religious Obedience . . . 334 

5. To what things Religious Obedience 

Extends 335 

6. Whom we must obey in Virtue of the 

Vow of Obedience .... 337 

7. Degrees of Obedience . . . .339 

8. Qualities of Religious Obedience . . 342 

9. Murmuring 344 



XVI 

CHAPTER IV. 

PAGE 

The Vow of Stability .... 347 

§ 1. Nature of the Vow of Stability . . 347 

2. Obligations assumed through the Vow 

of Stability .349 

3. Reasons that may Excuse from L,ocal 

Stability 351 

4. Some Regulations for such as are sta- 

tioned outside the Monastery . . 354 

CHAPTER V. 

The Vow of Conversion of Morals . 355 
§ 1. Nature of the Vow of Conversion of 

Morals 355 

2. Impediments to a thorough Conversion 

of Morals 356 



PART FIRST. 



On things which the Novice should 

know at the very beginning 

of his course in the 

Tyrocinium. 

§ 1. Nature of the Tyrocinium. 

The Tyrocinium is a school of perfec- 
tion, in which, from principles expressly 
or otherwise revealed by God, we learn 
how Religious should serve Him. Hence, 
whether we consider the dignity of the 
Teacher, Who is God Himself, or the nat- 
ure and excellence of the knowledge im- 
parted, which alone is necessary for sal- 
vation, we at once infer that the Novice 
should attend the instructions given in 
this school 

1. with great internal reverence, founded 
in the firm conviction that in it he will 
hear nothing else than the manifestations 
of Divine Wisdom; 

2. with great external reverence, know- 
ing that he receives these instructions 



through his legitimate superior, whom the 
Holy Ghost uses as His interpreter and 
organ; 

3. with great fervor and spiritual hung-er; 

4. with a diligent remembrance of these 
instructions; 

5. with a generous and persevering- ap- 
plication of them; 

6. with a holy and salutary fear, lest, 
if he should neglect these salutary teach- 
ing's, the words of the prophet be verified 
in him: Because thou hast rejected know- 
ledge I will reject thee. (Osee. 4, 6.) 

§ 2. Object of the Tyrocinium. 

The object of this school is to teach the 
Novice how to serve God. It teaches him 
how to perform the duties of his vocation 
to the religious life, which demands from 
him not any ordinary service of God, but 
rather a hig-her and more perfect one, as 
is evident from the common belief of the 
Church, as well as from the intrinsic nat- 
ure and character of the religious life, as 
outlined in the writing's of the Fathers 
and even in Sacred Scripture. 

This science of perfection in the service 
of God is so sublime and at the same 
time so distasteful and repug-nant to cor- 
rupt nature, that the Novice must not ex- 
pect to learn it by his own endeavors; he 
is therefore provided with a g-uide, a mas- 



ter, whose duty it is not only to teach 
thoroughly and clearly the principles and 
maxims of this science, but also to enforce 
them at all times with fatherly severity. 

Inference: The religious Novice should 
manifest his gratitnde to God for this be- 
nign proyidence by earnestly and frequently 
reflecting upon the object he had in yiew 
on entering the school of perfection; he 
should endeayor to bear it in mind con- 
tinually and striye conscientiously to ob- 
tain it; he should apply himself diligently 
to learn the object and the means neces- 
sary to attain it, and seriously question 
himself whether he is equal to the task. 
Otherwise he would make himself guilty 
of a fault against the yirtue of religion 
by neglecting to learn those things, which 
belong to the service of God, to which he 
intends to consecrate himself by his re- 
ligious profession, or at least he would 
expose himself to the danger of leading a 
discontented life in the religious state, by 
entering upon it without an adequate, 
practical knowledge of his duties. 

§ 3. Means of obtaining the object of the 
Tyrocinium. 

The chief means of attaining this end 
is a proper study of asceticism. For asceti- 
cism is a practical science, which, by means 
of principles divinely revealed, not only 



teaches how to avoid sin and practice 
virtue, but also by means of the evangeli- 
cal counsels and works of supererogation 
perfects the morals and leads to a most 
intimate union of the will with the will 
of God. It is therefore a science, which 
teaches man how to serve God in the most 
sublime and perfect manner. Hence it is 
only through diligent study that man can 
arrive at a practical knowledge how to 
serve God perfectly. 

However, that the study of asceticism 
may produce this desired result, certain 
conditions and directions must be complied 
with. 

The Novice should devote himself to it 

1. with a simple, pure and perfect in- 
tention; 

2. with an humble and confiding prayer 
to God for the assistance of His grace; 

3. with a lively faith, realizing that 
these ascetic truths are not the teachings 
of man, but that they are revealed by God; 
hence, he must not seek empty erudition 
and beauty of style, but a thorough con- 
version of morals in the showing of the 
spirit and power; (I. Cor. 2, 4.) 

4. with a diligent application of the 
mind and frequent reflection; 

5. with a firm resolution of putting into 
practice the teachings of this practical 
science and of overcoming all real or ap- 



parent difficulties with the assistance of 
God's grace. 

He should often examine himself care- 
fully how he has observed these directions; 
if he has neglected some he should resolve 
to comply with them for the future, that 
so by daily use he may put them into 
practice and make them his second nature. 

§ 4. Aids and Obstacles to progress in the 
School of Perfection. 

The aids are: 

1. A practical esteem and fervent love 
of one's relig-ious vocation; 

2. an ardent desire of making- great 
spiritual progress; this desire is enkindled, 
nourished and strengthened b}^ daily con- 
sidering* the manifold favors of God and 
by keeping* before the eyes of the. soul the 
examples of the Blessed Virgin and other 
Saints, particularly of our Order; 

3. a perfect self-control; 

4. an humble and absolute compliance 
with every behest of the superior; 

5. a pious solicitude to perform all the 
duties of the spiritual life with an actual 
reflection on the three points: What is to 
be done, why and how is it to be done? 

6. a firm determination of the will to 
avoid everything- that is displeasing- to God, 
to do at all times what is pleasing* to Him, 
to bear everything- that is distasteful to 



self-love, to advance continually towards 
higher perfection. 

The obstacles are: 

1. Love of the world; 

2. sloth, aversion to labor, fear of dif- 
ficulties and faintheartedness; 

3. neglect of earnest mortification in- 
terior as well as exterior; 

4. carelessness and indifference in the 
remembrance of the loving* presence of 
God; " 

5. ingratitude for graces and favors re- 
ceived from God and their abuse; 

6. reliance upon one's own strength and 
want of confidence in God; 

7. want of childlike love and candor 
towards the superior; 

8. lowmindedness, which contents itself 
with any commonplace and superficial prac- 
tice of virtue. 

§ 5. What the Novice should avoid and what 

he should observe during the time of his 

Tyrocinium. 

The Novice should avoid 

1. all intercourse with the world and 
worldly minded persons, whether in thought, 
word or affection; 

2. all useless and worldly conversations; 

3. all frivolity and petulant frowardness 
in action or speech, or intercourse with 
others; 



4. all idle and unnecessary roaming* about 
outside the enclosure of the Novitiate; 

5. all excess in eating* and drinking*; 

6. all envy, bitterness and dislike of 
others; 

7. all sinister, suspicious and rash judge- 
ments; 

8. all private and sensual friendships 
and familiarities. 

On the other hand the Novice should 
endeavor to keep himself well disposed 
towards God, his neig*hbor and himself 

1. by a holy zeal for Divine Service and 
all spiritual exercises; 

2. by manifesting* reverence, respect, 
fraternal charity, patience, gentleness and 
humility towards others; 

3. by a pure intention, assiduity in prayer 
and an ardent desire for solid virtue and 
a hig*h degree of perfection; 

4. by a careful attention to little thing's; 

5. by a childlike candor, and confidence 
in his spiritual director. 

Let the beg*inner in religious life im- 
press it well upon his mind, that the 
avoidance of the obstacles to perfection, 
the use of the means conducive to per- 
fection and the observance of all the rules 
laid down for the religious life are by no 
means matters of indifference or of little 
importance; for these are the criterions by 
which we must judg*e whether he has a 



8 



true desire of advancing* in spiritual life. 
Should he prove himself habitually negli- 
gent, slothful and careless in these mat- 
ters, especially should he do so out of 
contempt, he would sin against obedience, 
against justice and against the virtue of 
religion, lose much valuable time, abuse 
and lose many graces and fail to avail 
himself of numberless opportunities of ac- 
quiring many and great merits. 

§ 6. On the proper Intention, with which the 
Novice should enter upon his Tyrocinium. 

Intention is the deliberate volition of 
an end. The end, which we strive to 
attain by our actions, may be good or 
bad, perfect or imperfect, natural or super- 
natural; so also the intention may be good 
or bad, perfect or imperfect, natural or 
supernatural. 

As no one can propose to himself a 
more perfect or exalted end than God, 
Who is infinitely amiable, it follows that 
there can be no more perfect intention 
than that, which proceeds from perfect 
charity, whether actual or virtual. In virtue 
of such an intention all man's actions, 
even those that are of themselves indiffer- 
ent, as also those that are agreeable to 
nature, become meritorious; his sufferings 
and trials are made conducive unto life 
everlasting and works that are naturally 



good become more acceptable to God and 
supernaturally meritorious to man. The 
value of such works is still more enhanced 
when the}' are offered to God through the 
hands of the Blessed Virgin and in union 
with the works of Christ. Moreover, when 
an action is performed with several differ- 
ent good intentions, it increases in merit 
and will consequently receive a greater 
reward. Hence the Novice, who is truly 
in earnest in devoting himself to the ser- 
vice of God, who has a desire for heaven 
and is solicitous about the welfare of his 
soul, will not fail to make a perfect in- 
tention before entering upon the Tyro- 
cinium, and will endeavor to perform all 
his actions from pure motives; and in order 
to preserve and increase his first fervor in 
striving after perfection, he will often re- 
new his good intentions, especially on days 
of holy communion. 

§7. Characteristics of the true Novice. 

St. Benedict in his Holy Rule (chap. 58.) 
enumerates the following characteristics of 
the true Novice : 

1. That he truly seek God; by a proper 
intention, by diligent prayer, by a con- 
tinual practice of mortification, by a manly 
desire of great and solid virtue, by a per- 
fect renouncement and forgetfulness of the 
world, by an invincible fortitude in ad- 



10 

versity, and by a general exclusion of all 
human fear and respect; 

2. that he shozv a careful solicitude for 
everything that belongs to the Divine Ser- 
vice; by arranging- everything properly, 
by preparing himself conscientiously, by 
observing everything exactly and by doing 
everything in the fear of God and in hu- 
mility to the edification of those who hear 
him; 

3. that he show a readiness to obey; by 
complying scrupulously with all rules, re- 
gulations and directions^ even in most 
trivial matters, by submitting himself in 
all things to the judgment and will of his 
superior, by despising self-will, by ex- 
hibiting an even temper in everything that 
may be enjoined upon him, by obeying 
his inferiors, equals and superiors accord- 
ing to the dictates and spirit of the Holy 
Rule; (chap. 5. and 71.) 

4. that he show a willingness to suffer 
humiliations ; by accepting injury, reproach, 
correction and punishment with an even 
temperament, by bearing all afflictions of 
body or soul with unbroken patience, by 
preserving an unruffled calmness of mind 
in all the vicissitudes of life, by manifest- 
ing a holy simplicity in all his actions, 
by endeavoring to cultivate external and 
internal humility, saying not only with his 
lips but from profound conviction that he 



11 

is the least and meanest of all. (Holy Rule, 

chap. 7.) 

This, then, is the ideal, before which 
the young* Novice should examine himself, 
and according* to which he should fashion 
himself by removing the stains of a worldly 
life, till he becomes exactly like the ideal. 

This it is what God, religion, the com- 
munity and the eternal welfare of his soul 
demand from him; let him therefore study 
this ideal thoroughly, frequently and with 
fruit. 



PART SECOND. 



Practical Doctrines, from the faithful 

application of which depend the 

fruits of the spiritual exercises 

and, in general, of the entire 

monastic discipline. 

The practical endeavor of acquiring* re- 
ligious perfection, the steady observance of 
monastic discipline and the faithful per- 
formance of the spiritual exercises are so 
intimately connected with each other, that 
they necessarily stand or fall together. 
Hence this second part of the Tyrocinium 
treats of matters of the greatest importance 
and the young Novice should concentrate 
all his energy upon the study and practice 
of them. 

:o: 

CHAPTER I. 

Manner of making Sacramental Confession 
meritoriously and with fruit. 

The validity and effects of the Sacrament 
of Penance depend to a great extent upon 



13 

the acts of the penitent ; hence no one can 
be ignorant or content himself with a 
superficial knowledge of the nature of these 
acts and their essential requisites, without 
exposing* himself to the danger of com- 
mitting- a great sacrilege. 

These acts together with their qualities 
w T ill now be explained in accordance with 
safe principles of Theology. 

§ 1. Matter of Sacramental Confession. 

Penance may be considered as a virtue 
or as a sacrament. As a virtue it is the 
same as contrition, which is treated in the 
next paragraph. As a sacrament it is de- 
fined as follows : Penance is a sacrament 
instituted by Christ, in which the priest, 
as God's representative, forgives sins when 
the sinner is heartily sorry for them, sin- 
cerely confesses them and is willing- to do 
penance for them. (Deharbe.) It is in this 
latter signification that penance forms the 
subject matter of this chapter. 

The matter of this Sacrament is twofold, 
remote and proximate. The remote matter 
are only those sins, which have been com- 
mitted after Baptism. Mortal sins, accord- 
ing to their kind, number and the circum- 
stances, which change the kind of sin, 
form a necessary matter of confession so 
long as they have not been properly con- 
fessed and remitted through the absolution 



14 

of the priest. Venial sins, on the contrary, 
and those mortal sins, which have been 
already confessed and forgiven, constitute 
a sufficient, but optional matter of con- 
fession. 

To be able to distinguish more easily 
between necessary and optional matter of 
confession, it is necessary to know that to 
incur the g-uilt of mortal sin three thing's 
are absolutely and conjointly required: 

1. The matter must be grave either in 
itself or on account of circumstances; 

2. there must be full advertence to the 
sinfulness of the act or omission; 

3. there must be full and perfect consent 
on the part of the will. (Gury, Comp. 
Theol. Mor. n. 150.) 

The proximate matter of this Sacrament 
are three acts of the penitent, namely, con- 
trition, confession and satisfaction. 

§ 2. Contrition. 

Contrition is an interior sorrow and de- 
testation of sin committed^ with the resolu- 
tion not to sin any more, (Council of Trent, 
sess. 14. chap. 4.) 

Detestation of sin, which is the principal 
part of contrition, has reference to the past, 
whilst the resolution has reference to the 
future. The above definition does not take 
into consideration the New Law, in which 
contrition must be accompanied by the will 



15 

of going- to confession, to make it effective 
in regard to mortal sin. Hence the Council 
of Trent subjoins — with the will to do all 
that is required in order to receive this 
Sacrament properly. 

This is clearly expressed by St. Thomas 

when he says that contrition is a sorrow 

for sins with the purpose of confessing' 

them and making satisfaction for them. 

(Suppl. qu. 1. art. 1.) 

There are two kinds of contrition, perfect 
and imperfect. Perfect contrition is that 
sorrow and detestation of sin, which pro- 
ceeds from perfect charity ; in other words, 
it springs from a consideration of the in- 
trinsic goodness of God, on account of 
which He is infinitely amiable in Himself. 
Imperfect contrition, which is also called 
attrition, is a detestation of sin, which 
proceeds from some other supernatural 
motive, e. g. from a consideration of the 
hatefulness of sin or a fear of helL, or a 
desire of eternal happiness. 

Necessity of Contrition. 

Perfect contrition with the will of re- 
ceiving the Sacrament, or imperfect con- 
trition with the actual reception of the 
Sacrament of Penance are the only means, 
through which the state of grace can be 
regained by one, who has committed mortal 
sin after Baptism. This doctrine is clearly 



16 

contained in the Scriptures and in the 
writing's of the Fathers, and reason itself 
teaches that sin can not be forg-iven with- 
out sorrow for it. Hence the Council of 
Trent says : This act of sorrow was at all 
times necessary in order to obtain the for- 
giveness of sin, (sess. 14. chap. 4.) and 
(sess. 6. chap. 6.) it numbers hatred and 
detestation of sin, among- the principal 
dispositions required for justification. 

It is clear that the act of contrition must 
precede or at least co-exist with the absolu- 
tion itself. Practically speaking-, the act of 
sorrow must precede the absolution, because 
the penitent should have all the required 
dispositions before he presents himself 
for absolution. It is very advisable to 
renew the act of contrition immediately 
before confession, especially if the last act 
of sorrow has been made a considerable 
time before confession, althoug-h the act 
may virtually continue for an entire day 
or even long-er. Should the penitent, im- 
mediately after absolution, confess some 
mortal sin, which he had forg-otten, it is 
safer to renew the act of contrition. 

Qualities of Contrition. 

In order that contrition, whether perfect 
or imperfect, may effectively dispose the 
sinner to receive the remission of sin, it 
must have the following- qualities: 



17 

1. It must be interior, according* to the 
words of God spoken by the mouth of the 
prophet: Rend your hearts and not your 
garments; (Joel 2, 13.) 

2. it must be supernatural, that is, it 
must be elicited by the assistance of divine 
grace and from some supernatural motive 
made known to man throug*h revelation 
and in some way drawing* the sinner to- 
wards God; for natural -means cannot 
conduct to a supernatural end. There are 
five such supernatural motives of contrition, 
namely: The fear of punishment, the hope 
of reward, the hatefulness of sin, the good- 
ness of God manifested by His gifts and 

favors to man and the goodness of God 
considered as one of His attributes. When 
the act of sorrow spring's from any one of 
these motives as known by the lig*ht of faith 
and is accompanied by the hope of obtain- 
ing* pardon, it is supernatural; 

3. it must be supreme, i. e. the sinner 
must detest his sins more than all other 
evils that mig*ht befall him, and he must 
be so disposed that he would choose to 
lose and suffer everything* rather than to 
commit sin ag*ain; otherwise his conversion 
to God would not be entire and without 
reserve; 

4. it must be universal, i. e. it must 
extend itself at least implicitly to all mortal 
sins, of which the sinner is guilty ; the 
reason for this is because sin is remitted 



18 

by the infusion of sanctifying- grace into 
the soul, and this sanctifying* grace is in- 
compatible with even only one mortal sin. 

Remarks : 

1. Contrition for venial sins need not 
necessarily be universal, because such sins 
are not a necessary matter for confession 
and some can be remitted without others 
being* forg-iven; however, no venial sin is 
forgiven without sorrow. 

2. Contrition for sin need not be supreme 
in intensity, because the intensity of sorrow 
is something- merely accidental, in other 
words, the greater or less degree of sorrow 
does not constitute the essence of contrition. 
It is therefore sufficient that it be supreme 
in estimation, i. e. that sin be considered 
the greatest of all evils and therefore de- 
tested more than all other evils. 

3. Imperfect contrition, which arises from 
a fear of the pains of hell, is sufficient to 
obtain f org-iveness of sin throug-h the Sa- 
crament of Penance, provided it be truly 
supernatural and effectively exclude the 
attachment of the will to sin. The reason 
for this is because such a contrition is a 
true conversion to God and an aversion 
from sin. Hence the Council of Trent 
teaches that attrition, which is conceived 
from a fear of hell and other punishments, 
is g-ood and disposes the sinner for justi- 



19 

fication in the Sacrament of Penance, (sess. 
14. chap. 4.) 

4. Imperfect contrition or attrition does 
not remit mortal sin without the actual 
reception of the Sacrament of Penance; on 
the contrary, perfect contrition, which is 
alwa^ys accompanied b}' the explicit or im- 
plicit will of receiving- the Sacrament, re- 
mits mortal sins and therefore justifies the 
sinner without the actual reception of the 
Sacrament of Penance. The reason is be- 
cause attrition does not include perfect 
charity, but rather excludes it; this charity 
must therefore be infused together with 
sanctifying grace throug*h the Sacrament 
of Penance. But perfect contrition neces- 
sarily includes perfect charity, which, even 
in its most remiss degree, is a bond of 
union between God and man; hence it 
necessarily excludes mortal sin, which 
separates man from God. 

5. Perfect contrition not only remits the 
g-uilt of mortal sin and its eternal punish- 
ment, but in proportion to its degree of 
intensit}^ it also remits all or at least a 
part of the temporal punishment due to sin. 

Purpose of Amendment and its Qualities. 

Purpose of amendment is a fixed resolve 
on the part of the will not to sin again. 

This purpose is two-fold, explicit and 
implicit. It is explicit or formal when it 



20 

is made after an actual reflection on the 
future; it is implicit or virtual, when the 
future is not actually considered; such an 
implicit purpose is alwa}^s contained in the 
act of contrition. 

A purpose of amendment is absolutely 
necessary since it forms an essential part 
of contrition, and must have the follow- 
ing- qualities: 

1. It must be firm, i. e. the sinner must 
have a fixed determination of the will not 
to relapse into sin, notwithstanding- all 
difficulties, human respect or fear; 

2. it must be effective, i. e. the penitent 
must not only firmly resolve not to sin ag-ain, 
but he must also determine to use the neces- 
sary means to overcome temptations and 
to avoid the proximate occasions of sin; 

3. it must be universal, i. e., it must 
extend to all mortal sins committed in the 
past or committible in the future. With 
reg-ard to venial sins, it is requisite and 
sufficient for the validity of the Sacrament 
to have a firm and effective purpose of 
avoiding at least one venial sin, for which 
absolution is asked. 

§ 3. Sacramental Confession. 

Sacramental confession is a manifestation 
of one's sins to a duly authorized priest 
with the intention of receiving- absolution. 
It must be contrite, i. e. the sorrow for 



21 

sin must co-exist, at least virtually, with 
the confession and absolution. It must be 
entire, i. e. the accusation must include 
all mortal sins committed after baptism 
and not yet forgiven through the Sacrament 
of Penance. These sins must be confessed 
according- to kind and number, and also 
the circumstances which change the kind 
of sin. The confession must also be ac- 
companied by the hope of pardon. In order 
that our confessions may be more pleasing 
to God and fruitful to us, they should have 
the following- qualifications enumerated by 
St. Thomas: They should be plain, humble, 
pure, sincere, frequent, open, discreet, free, 
modest, entire, secret, contrite, short, 
manly, self-accusing, submissive. (Suppl. 
qu. 9. art. 4.) 

To assist the memory, a certain order 
should be observed in enumerating- sins, 
e. g. by first confessing- the sins committed 
directly against God, then those committed 
against our neighbor and ourselves in 
thought, word, deed or sinful omission. 

§ 4. Sacramental Satisfaction. 

Satisfaction is the reparation made by 
the sinner to the outraged majesty of God 
by penitential works. Such penitential 
works, in the present state of corrupt 
nature, are all good works and acts of 
virtue, even those, which are merely in- 



22 



ternal. All penitential works may be re- 
duced to three, namely, prayer, fasting* 
and alms-deeds. 

These works may be self-imposed, and 
then they constitute a satisfaction, which 
is not sacramental; or they may be imposed 
by the confessor, and then they are called 
sacramental satisfaction. The will to ac- 
cept and perform the penance imposed by 
the confessor is requisite for the validity 
of the Sacrament. When a grave penance 
is imposed for mortal sin, it must be per- 
formed under pain of mortal sin, and to 
defer it very long- would be at least a 
venial sin. 

Since the sacramental penance is seldom 
equivalent to the reparation, which God 
demands from the sinner, penitents are 
oblig-ed by natural law to supply the de- 
ficiency by self-imposed penitential works. 
This is done very easily and yet securely 
by those Religious, who are faithful to 
their vocation and obedient to their Holy 
Rule. For they lead a life of continual 
prayer, fasting- and alms-deeds and practice 
self-denial without intermission. They are 
always aspiring- to a hig-her degree of per- 
fection, and hence if they endeavor to per- 
form all their actions out of love to God 
and offer them to Him in satisfaction for 
their sins, they may piously confide in the 
Lord and expect an increase of charity 



23 

and the remission of their temporal punish- 
ments due to sin. 



§ 5. Practical Manner of going to Confession. 

First of all, the proper disposition, re- 
mote as well as proximate is required. 
The remote disposition consists in a ha- 
bitual evenness, rectitude and tenderness 
of conscience. These are acquired by con- 
tinual recollection, watchfulness over the 
heart, careful examinations of conscience 
and unswerving- horror of sin. A true and 
tender conscience is diametrically opposed 
to a scrupulous as well as to a lax conscience 
and it is absolutely necessary to obtain 
purity of heart. 

The proximate disposition consists in 
an exact and earnest observance of those 
thing's which precede, accompany or fol- 
low the confession. 

Before confession there are required: 

1. A pure intention; 

2. acts af faith, hope and charit3 r ; 

3. a fervent invocation of the Holy Ghost 
for the grace of knowing and detesting- 
our sins and amending our lives; 

4. a diligent examination of conscience; 

5. a heartfelt sorrow; 

6. a purpose of amendment. 



24 

During confession : 

1. At least a virtual contrition; 

2. a profound humility, exterior as well 
as interior; 

3. a sense of holy shame and confusion; 

4. a careful attention to the admonitions 
and instructions of the confessor. 

After co7ifession: 

1. A fervent act of thanksgiving- ; 

2. performance of the sacramental pen- 
ance; 

3. a deliberate and manful keeping- of 
the purpose of amendment; 

4. a holy fear for forgiven sins, by means 
of a frequent and sorrowful remembrance 
of one's past sinful life, a continual and 
serious practice of penance and a g-uarded 
and thougiitful mode of life. 

To obtain a peaceful and quiet conscience 
regarding- our confessions it will be found 
very useful 

1. to recall to mind some grievous sin 
of the past life, to make an explicit act 
of contrition for it and to mention it in 
confession without giving* its details; this 
will intensify the sorrow and compunction 
of heart, which a sinner should feel for 
his sins; 

2. to select from the number of those 
venial sins, which the penitent is about 
to confess, one, which is more serious than 



25 

the rest, or of more frequent occurrence, 
or more pernicious, or the cause of many 
other venial sins and imperfections and to 
make a special resolution to avoid this 
particular sin in future. By this practice 
we acquire a more perfect knowledge and 
hatred of ourselves, we become more cir- 
cumspect in daily life and tend more ef- 
fectually towards religious perfection. 



§ 6. General Confession. 

A general confession differs from an 
ordinary confession in this that it extends 
itself to all sins committed after Baptism. 
A general confession of mortal sins is 
necessary for all those, who have always 
made invalid or sacrilegious confessions. 

Those who have at any time in their 
lives made sacrilegious confessions, must 
confess all mortal sins committed since 
the last good confession; such a confession 
is sometimes also called general. 

It is a very commendable practice for 
Novices to make a general confession at 
the beginning of their Novitiate, as it is 
a very effective means to a thorough re- 
formation of the whole man, which should 
be begun with perfect purity of conscience. 

But even apart from these cases a gen- 
eral confession made with the approval of 
one's spiritual director is very useful and 



26 

j 
meritorious. By such a confession the 
penitent acquires 

1. the merit of obedience; 

2. the merit of heroic humility; 

3. an increase of charity and grace; 

4. a more complete remission of tempo- 
ral punishments; 

5. a greater purity of soul; 

6. a more perfect knowledge and hatred 
of self. 

The confessor or spiritual director, to 
whom such a general confession is made, 
will know the interior of his penitent much 
better and will therefore be able to direct 
him more easily and safely on the paths 
of perfection. Hence all zealous Religious 
are accustomed to make such confessions 
occasionally, and at their annual retreats 
they make a review of the past year, from 
which they usually derive abundant fruit. 

The manner of making a general confes- 
sion does not differ from that of an ordi- 
nary one, except that more attention must 
be given to the examination of conscience, 
which.extends over a longer period of time, 
and that sins already duly confessed and 
forgiven need not be mentioned in detail. 

It often happens that after a general 
confession scruples arise in the ^penitent. 
When this is the case such scruples should 
be carefully removed in order to restore 
peace of soul. To do this the penitent 



27 

with the assistance of his confessor should 
investigate 

1. whether the matter of the sin, which 
disquiets him, was grave either in itself 
or on account of some circumstance; 

2. whether the sin was committed with 
full advertence to the sinfulness of the act 
or omission; 

3. whether he was aware of the gravity 
of the sin at the time of its commission, 
and if not whether his ignorance of it 
was culpable; 

4. whether he never properly confessed 
the sin. 

After examining himself on these points 
it will not be difficult to arrive at a pru- 
dent solution of the doubt, and to remove 
all anxiety. Should his mind still be dis- 
turbed about the matter, he should not 
make any further investigations, which 
would be useless and sometimes dangerous, 
but should place absolute reliance in the 
judgment of his confessor. 

In order to guard against scrupulosity 
it is advisable to make known to the con- 
fessor all doubts and perplexities as soon 
as they arise in the mind, especially if 
the penitent has once made a general con- 
fession with due diligence. 

Should the penitent be tempted by the 
devil to conceal sins in confession, let him 
reflect 



28 

1. that he would act very foolishly in 
concealing- out of shame from one, what 
he was not ashamed to do before many; 

2. that he makes his confession to a 
sinner, who can have compassion with 
him; to a priest, whose lips are sealed 
and who will know that, which he hears 
in confession, less, than that, which he 
does not know at all; to a physician, who 
is not scandalized but edified by the candor 
of his patient; 

3. that this false shame serves no pur- 
pose, because the sin, which is now con- 
cealed from one, will be made known to 
the whole world on the day of judgment; 

4. that by an humble confession he ex- 
tinguishes the flames of hell; 

5. that by a confession, which causes 
him so much confusion, he practices forti- 
tude in a heroic degree, which redounds 
to his honor. 

After considering- these thing-s it is not 
likely that anyone will refuse to confess 
to a merciful Father what he has done, 
to avoid falling- into the hands of an in- 
censed Judg-e. 



-:o:- 



29 
CHAPTER II. 

Holy Communion. 

To partake of this heavenly bread with- 
out eating- judgment to himself (I. Cor. 
11, 28.) a man must prove himself, that 
is, he must carefully prepare and dispose 
himself to receive this bread of life; for 
the more perfect the preparation, the 
greater will be the spiritual fruit derived 
from this Sacrament. 

§ 1. Preparation for Holy Communion. 

In order that holy communion may not 
become sacrilegious the conscience must 
be free of mortal sin and the recipient 
must be fasting since midnight; but to 
derive abundant fruits from the reception 
of this Sacrament a careful preparation, 
remote as well as proximate, is required. 
The remote preparation comprises: 

1. Purity of life, which consists not only 
in the avoidance of mortal and venial sins, 
but also in a zealous practice of virtue, 
in a freedom from all rebellious emotions 
of love and hatred, from all inordinate 
desire of ease and honor, from all undue 
attachment to anything created; for these 
are the three obstacles to that close union 
with Christ, which should be the object 
and effect of holy communion; 



30 

2. a continual practice of interior and 
exterior mortification, without which purity 
of life can not be acquired or preserved; 

3. an ardent charity towards God and 
sincere love of one's neighbor; for this is 
the Sacrament of God's intense love to 
man, it is the symbol and figure of unit}- 

4. a high regard for this mystery, which 
sfiould be instilled into the mind by a con- 
sideration of the intrinsic excellence of this 
Sacrament and the unspeakable effects, 
which it produces in the souls of men. 

The intrinsic excellence of this Sacrament 
is founded in the dignity of the person, 
Who is present, in the object, for which 
He is present, and in the intense love, 
with which He is present. Its effects are 
the remission of venial sins, and even of 
those mortal sins, which the conscience, 
through no fault of the penitent, fails to 
disclose; it subdues evil and predominant 
passions, particularly the rebellion of con- 
cupiscence; it dispels tepidity and sloth; 
it increases and strengthens the gifts of 
the Holy Ghost, namety, fear of the Lord, 
piety, knowledge, fortitude, counsel, un- 
derstanding and wisdom. This Sacrament 
is, as it were, a general dispensary, in 
which all that is conducive to the well- 
being of body and soul is offered and dis- 
tributed. 

The proximate preparation comprises 



31 

everything-, that tends to excite and in- 
crease actual devotion; it therefore includes: 

1. A good and pure intention of acknow- 
ledging- and manifesting- the excessive love 
of God towards His creatures, and all His 
other perfections, which lie hidden in this 
memorial of His passion; 

2. an ardent desire and spiritual hung-er 
for this heavenly food, because the measure 
of the grace communicated to the soul 
throug-h this Sacrament will be in propor- 
tion to this desire and spiritual hung-er 
for it. This desire is excited by a con- 
sideration of the excellence and fruitfulness 
of this Sacrament, as has been explained 
above, and by a fervent devotion, which 
is acquired, nourished and augmented . by 
ejaculatory ptayers and loving- aspirations 
taken from the Psalms or devotional books 
or made in our own words. These prayers 
should be repeated often from the time of 
confession till the time of holy communion, 
but especially before retiring- in the even- 
ing- and on awakening- in the morning-; 

3. acts of various virtues, especially of 
faith, hope and love, of contrition, humil- 
ity and desire. These acts should be inter- 
spersed between the ejaculatory prayers 
and aspirations or may also be subjoined 
to them. 

The excellence of this Sacrament, the 
majesty of Him, Who comes to us and our 



32 

own interest, demand that at least a quar- 
ter of an hour be devoted to this proximate 
preparation for holy communion. 

§ 2. Actual Reception of Holy Communion. 

This Sacrament should be received with 
great interior and exterior devotion. The 
exterior devotion comprises cleanliness of 
person and dress, ang-elic modesty, manly 
gravity and great reverence. The interior 
devotion demands, besides the proximate 
preparation spoken of in the preceding- 
paragraph, a profound humility, which is 
a characteristic of every worthy recipient 
of this Sacrament. The Church invites her 
children to the practice of this humility 
throug-h the priest, who says to them three 
times in an audible tone of voice: Lord, 
I am not worthy. 

It will not be difficult to make such acts 
of humility, when we consider with a lively 
faith the inestimable excellence of that, 
which is given and the vileness and noth- 
ingness of him, to whom it is given. This 
faith the Church endeavors to excite in us 
by the words: Behold the Lamb of God, 
behold He Who taketh away the sins of the 
world. After receiving- our divine Guest 
with lively faith and profound humility, 
we should endeavor to unite ourselves to 
Him, so that we may become, as it were, 
one spirit with Him. 



33 

This is done 

1. by embracing- Him with the most ten- 
der affections of gladness and love; 

2. by adoring* Him with ardent faith in 
the recesses of our hearts; 

3. by most humbly prostrating* ourselves 
before Him in the dust of our nothing*- 
ness; 

4. by instituting most loving- colloquies 
with Him, confessing* our worthlessness 
before the infinite majesty of God, by con- 
secrating- and offering* ourselves to Him 
as He offers Himself continually to God 
in this Sacrament; by manifesting our sub- 
jection to the King* of ages and absolutely 
resigning ourselves to His holy will and 
good pleasure, and by plighting our fidel- 
ity again and again to the Spouse of our 
souls. Then we should reveal to our heav- 
enly Physician all the wounds and infir- 
mities of our souls and say to Him: Lord 
if Thou wilt Thou canst make me clean, or, 
considering* Him as our Father and em- 
bracing Him with childlike love, we should 
lay before Him all our spiritual and tem- 
poral wants with a kind of holy impor- 
tunity, as children are wont to do towards 
their parents; or, considering* Him as our 
Brother and being animated with a holy 
love towards Him, we should most ardently 
desire to become like Him by imitating* 
the example of our Prototype and should 
effectually purpose to fashion ourselves ac- 



34 

cording* to Him; or we should endeavor to 
appease our future Judge by offering* to 
Him as God the blood, which He as man 
shed for us and which we receive in holy 
communion. All these acts are contained 
in the following- lines: 

Believe, bewail and hope, g-ive thanks and 

love, adore, 
The wounds of soul reveal and ask for holy 

gifts. 

These and similar colloquies will be easy 
and abundant in times of consolation and 
sensible devotion; but in times of spiritual 
dryness and desolation, we should use the 
devotions for holy communion contained in 
some prayer-book, and do our utmost to 
entertain our Lord with the holy affections, 
pious aspirations and fervent colloquies 
which we read. 

It may not be out of place here to lay 
down some g-eneral rules to be observed 
during- times of spiritual dryness, which 
occur very frequently. When we feel so 
cold and indifferent that nothing- of a 
spiritual nature seems to make any im- 
pression upon us and when we derive no 
satisfaction from anything* appertaining- to 
the service of God, we must not g*ive wa}^ 
to useless dejection of mind and pernicious 
inquietude of soul, but we should inquire 
into the origin of this insensibility. If we 
have been neg-lig-ent in our remote or proxi- 
mate preparation, then this aridity comes 



35 

from ourselves and we must meet it with 
an act of sorrow for the fault committed 
and a firm resolve to prepare ourselves 
diligently in the future. If the fault does 
not lie with us and if we experience not 
only this dryness of heart, but also a great 
and unusual inquietude and mental per- 
turbation, then it comes from the devil, 
who endeavors to create in us a nausea 
and distaste for this heavenly food. In 
this case we must treat the devil with 
utter contempt, continue to do all in our 
power, invoke the assistance of God and 
bear the disagreeable disposition of our 
souls with humility and patience. When 
the dryness is peaceful and quiet and is 
not the consequence of our own neg-lig-ence, 
then it comes from God, Who by means 
of it chastises us for our inordinate attach- 
ment to the thing-s of this world, or puri- 
fies us from all cupidity and self-love or 
perfects us and prepares us for contem- 
plative union with Himself. We should 
always feel convinced that aridity is a 
kind of punishment; such a conviction will 
remove every suspicion of pride and pre- 
sumption, and, considering- our own frailty 
and infidelity in the service of God, it will 
very likely rest on truth and is very well 
adapted to the practice of acts of repent- 
ance and resig-nation, and disposes us to 
undertake thing's that are difficult. We 
should practice these acts especially during- 



36 



the periods of dryness, because they cor- 
respond to the present condition of our 
souls, and directly dispose us to receive 
spiritual consolation. 



§ 3. What should be done after Holy Communion. 

It is evident that we should first of all 
offer our most fervent thanks to our heav- 
enly Guest, lyy observing- those things, 
that have been spoken of in the two pre- 
ceding* paragraphs, and, if necessary, use 
a prayer-book for this purpose. We should 
select some quiet and retired spot and there 
spend at least a quarter of an hour in 
making* our thanksgiving as faith, reason 
and common decency demand. In doing 
so we must not imagine that our other 
duties or occupations will suffer, on the 
contrary, if we recommend them to Him, 
Whom we have within us, and ask Him 
to teach us how to do them, then these 
very duties will derive great profit from 
the time spent with our heavenly Visitor 
after holy communion. 

But we must not content ourselves with 
this devotion of a quarter of an hour; 
during the day we should often reflect on 
the greatness of the grace and favor, 
which we have received; we should be par- 
ticularly modest and reserved in our de- 
portment, observe silence, seek recollection 



37 

and compunction of heart and avoid all 
dissipation whether interior or exterior. 

Hence we should spend at least a part 
of the days of holy communion in earnest 
reflection and ask ourselves what fruit we 
have derived from so many communions, 
whether our sins have grown less in num- 
ber and malice, whether our vices have 
been weakened, whether the acts and hab- 
its of virtue have increased in intensity, 
whether the love of the world has been 
checked and the love of God augmented. 
If we find that we are continually in the 
same mire of sinfulness, then we have 
reason to fear that our disposition and 
preparation have been wanting* in fervor, 
and that to a certain extent, we have 
eaten judgment to ourselves. 

It is also a very wholesome practice to 
offer to God, our Guest, in thanksgiving- 
for the favor received, some special reso- 
lution, with the intention of keeping it 
carefully for that day at least. We should 
resolve to overcome ourselves occasionally 
in something, which in itself may be very 
insignificant, but towards which we have 
an inordinate inclination and which there- 
fore causes in us an undue attachment. 
This will result in greater purity of heart, 
which is the chief requisite for a worthy 
and fruitful communion. 



38 



§ 4. Spiritual Communion. 



Spiritual communion is a desire of re- 
ceiving- Christ in the most holy sacrament 
of the Eucharist, proceeding- from a lively 
faith which worketh by charity, (Gal. 5, 6.) 
and joined with an affectionate union of 
the soul with Him. The same preparation 
and disposition of soul are required for 
spiritual communion as for sacramental 
communion, but they need not be so long* 
and formal; they should consist in that 
holy, humble, contrite and loving- desire 
and long-ing-, which have been spoken of 
in the first paragraph. These acts may 
be found in prayer-books and are never 
wanting* to a soul enamored with her God. 
It may be well to mention here that, 
althoug-h spiritual communion does not 
differ very much from sacramental com- 
munion as to the effects, which it pro- 
duces, it nevertheless does differ widely 
from actual communion as to the manner 
of producing- these effects; for spiritual 
communion does not produce them ex ofiere 
operato like sacramental communion but 
only ex oftere ofterantis, so that these effects 
are greater or less in proportion to the 
intensity of the love and desire, with 
which we make the spiritual communion. 
This spiritual communion is not re- 
stricted to any certain time or place, we 
can always and everywhere unite ourselves 



39 

to our God and thus gain the fruits of 
spiritual communion. 

What a happiness, what a consolation 
is this in all the circumstances of life and 
particularly in the hour of death! Surely, 
no one should fail to adhere continually 
to God and become one spirit with Him 
through this easy and salutary practice of 
receiving- Him spiritually in the Sacrament 
of His love. 



-:o:- 



CHAPTER III. 

Manner of celebrating and assisting at Mass devoutly 
and of visiting the Blessed Sacrament. 

Of all the acts of religion, by which 
we offer to God the worship due to Him, 
by far the most excellent and sublime is 
the sacrifice of the Mass. It is a worship 
that can be offered to God alone and is 
commensurate to His infinite majesty. It 
is a sacrifice of adoration, thanksgiving*, 
impetration and propitiation and therefore 
contains in itself all the differences and 
objects of all the sacrifices of the Old Law 
and infinitely surpasses them all, whether 
we take into consideration the chief Hig-h- 
priest, Who in Christ the Lord Himself, 
or the victim offered, which is the human 
nature of Christ hypostatically united to 



40 



the Divine Word, or the sublime manner, 
in which it is offered and which trans- 
cends all created understanding-, namely, 
the transubstantiation of bread and wine 
into the body and blood of Christ, leaving- 
only the appearances and accidents of the 
bread and wine. This is not so much a 
stupendous miracle of divine omnipotence 
as an aggregation of many amazing- mira- 
cles. 

Since, then, Religious, as the very name 
already indicates, are in a special manner 
obliged to worship God, it is evident that 
they can comply with this duty in no bet- 
ter way than by daily offering this sacri- 
fice and assisting at holy Mass. 

§ 1. Manner of celebrating Mass. 

In regard to the celebration of Mass, it 
will suffice for our present purpose to say 
that every priest should often and most 
seriously reflect upon the intrinsic dignity 
and excellence of this most holy action. 
In doing so he will guard against the 
example of the lukewarm and their lax 
teachings, whereas otherwise he may be- 
come like them and perform these awful 
mysteries of our religion with tepidity, 
irreverence and scandalous indifference. 
Such a mode of offering sacrifice would 
not only expose the priest to the danger 
of sacrilegious irreverence, but it might 



41 

also convert the chalice of benediction into 
a chalice of the wrath of the Lord, not only 
for the priest, but also, to a certain ex- 
tent at least, for all the faithful. For, as 
St. Prosper says, if God became so in- 
censed ag-ainst the people of Israel on 
account of the sins of those who had been 
chosen to serve Him at the altars, that 
He did not spare even the places and ves- 
sels consecrated to His service, what must 
be expected when such criminal irreverence 
is exhibited not in offering" the sacrifices 
of the Old Law, which were but shadows 
and fig-ures, but in offering" the reality, 
the most sublime sacrifice of the New Law. 

The priest should be careful not to give 
scandal to heretics, not to give offence to 
Catholics, not to expose the Church to 
ridicule, not to deprive himself and others 
of the fruits of this sacrifice by offering- 
it in a cold, careless and mechanical man- 
ner; on the contrary, he should make a 
fervent preparation before g"oing" to the 
altar; during" Mass he should be animated 
by profound humility, heartfelt compunc- 
tion, lively faith and ardent love; after 
Mass he should make his thanksgiving 
devoutly; he should understand that what 
was said in the preceding" chapter on the 
manner of receiving- holy communion ap- 
plies with special force to the devout cele- 
bration of the sacrifice of the Mass. 

Let him not imagine that he will en- 



42 

croach too much upon the time, which he 
should devote to other affairs and duties; 
for preparation, Mass and thanksgiving- 
one hour is sufficient and required, and 
should a priest hesitate or refuse to allot 
so much of his time to this most sublime 
of all his sacerdotal functions when his 
conscience tells him that he often spends 
whole hours in idle and useless conversa- 
tions. Much less should he be appre- 
hensive, lest, by celebrating- Mass devoutly 
he mig-ht become tedious and tiresome to 
others; for, if he does not consume more 
than half an hour in saying Mass, no one 
will have any just cause for complaint. 
But even if he should be oblig-ed to hear 
the criticisms and sarcasms of others oc- 
casionally, let him remember the words 
of St. Paul: If I did yet f lease men, I 
should not be the servant of Christ. (Gal. 
1, 10.) 

§ 2. Manner of assisting at Mass. 

Since the priest offers sacrifice in the 
name of and as a representative of the 
faithful, especially of those who assist at 
the Mass, it follows that no devotion is 
more appropriate, none more adapted to fix 
the attention and to excite fervor, than to 
reflect upon what the priest says and does 
at the altar. 

During- the first part of the Mass, which 
comprises everything- that precedes the 



43 

Offertory, the priest makes a general con- 
fession of his own sinfulness by saying 
the Conjileor, he prays in the name of the 
universal Church and reads the Epistle 
and Gospel. Those, who assist at Mass 
should therefore accompany him by a heart- 
felt act of sorrow for all their sins; by 
fervent prayer, asking- for themselves or 
others special graces throug-h the infinite 
merits of Christ; by an act of thanksgiv- 
ing- for their vocation to the true religion 
joined with a profession of faith and a 
petition for an increase of faith, saying* 
with St. Aug-ustine: Lord^ give what Thou 
commandest and command what Thou wilt. 
The second part of the Mass extends 
from the Offertory to the Agnus Dei. It 
contains the act of sacrifice, namely the 
consecration, . and those prayers and litur- 
gical actions, which have a more imme- 
diate bearing- upon the sacrifice; the prin- 
cipal of these are the Offertory, the Preface 
and the Lord's Prayer. During- this part 
w^e should offer an humble and contrite 
heart as a sacrifice of propitiation; an act 
of fervent gratitude for all favors and 
graces received from God as a sacrifice of 
thanksgiving; we should offer the Son of 
God, Who is really present upon the altar, 
as a sacrifice of adoration to God, and 
accompany this oblation by acts of adora- 
tion, faith, hope and charity; lastly, we 
should offer Him as a sacrifice of impe- 



44 



tration, Who is our advocate with the 
Father and in His own words present to 
the Author of all good the petitions con- 
tained in the Lord's Prayer. 

The third and last part of the Mass 
comprises the immediate preparation for 
holy communion, holy communion itself 
and thanksgiving - . Those, who are present, 
should accompany the priest by an humble 
petition for pardon through the Lamb That 
taketh away the sins of the world; by a 
fervent spiritual communion; by an act of 
thanksgiving for all graces received through 
this sacrifice. 

This method of hearing Mass need not 
always be followed; others may also be 
employed and sometimes even to greater 
advantage. This is especially the case 
when we feel indisposed for mental prayer 
or when we experience dryness and insensi- 
bility of heart. Then it is better to give 
way a little to our weakness and to use 
a prayer-book, so however that we stop 
reading occasionally in order to make those 
acts that have been spoken of above. These 
acts should accompany the vocal prayers 
just as the consideration of the mysteries 
in the life and passion of Christ accompa- 
nies the recitation of the Rosary. In this 
way prayer will not become tedious, and 
the mind will gradually become disposed 
for mental prayer and will receive an in- 
crease of spiritual fervor. 



45 

Reflection upon the mysteries of Christ's 
passion is particularly appropriate during- 
the time of Mass, for the Eucharistic sacri- 
fice is a commemoration of Christ's passion; 
it is a repetition of the bloody sacrifice of 
the cross offered in an unbloody manner 
upon the altar, and hence it is very proper 
that the mind should represent to itself 
the circumstances of that awful scene, 
which was enacted on Mount Calvery. This 
will also serve to keep the imagination 
employed within proper limits and to en- 
kindle the flame of devotion in the heart. 

§ 3. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 

The pious practice of visiting" the Blessed 
Sacrament is one which should be familiar 
to all Religious. The Christian temple is 
the palace of the Redeemer, the tabernacle 
is the throne of the God-man Jesus Christ. 
Hence Religious, who are called to par- 
take in a special manner in the lot of the 
children of God, who are His courtiers, 
His chamberlains and companions should 
consider nothing- so pleasant, so natural 
as to converse with their God in the 
tabernacle. 

This kind of attention is certainly most 
acceptable to Jesus Christ, Whose delig-ht 
it is to -be with the children of men. (Prov. 
8, 31.) That He might find this delig-ht 
and be with us to the end of the world, 



46 

He has instructed and directed His Church 
to keep this Sacrament in His temples. 

In order, therefore, not to deprive God, 
Who is present in the holy Eucharist, of 
this delight and ourselves of numberless 
graces, we should not only never absent 
ourselves from the visits made in common, 
but in arranging- our order of the day we 
should also set apart certain fixed times 
for private visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 

It is very advisable to make these visits 

1. every morning- and evening* so that 
the first and last homag-e may be offered 
to our Divine Master; 

2. after conversation, or any bodily re- 
creation, especially if it has been of long-er 
duration, to ask pardon for committed 
faults and imperfections as also to banish 
distractions; 

3. in times of temptations, difficulties 
and public or private afflictions, taking* 
our refug-e to Him, Who is ever ready to 
assist us, Who even invites us saying-: 
Come to me, all you that labor, and are 
heavy laden, and I will refresh you; (Matt. 
11, 28.) 

4. before undertaking- anything- of un- 
usual importance, consulting* God according* 
to the example of Moses and David and 
placing- all our reliance in Him alone; 

5. after the happy termination of the 
work undertaken, giving* thanks to the 



47 

Source of everything- that is good and 
meriting- for ourselves more abundant 
measures of graces. 

We should take great care that in mak- 
ing- these visits we be always animated by 
lively faith and fervent charity. Hence we 
should always have a g-ood and pure in- 
tention, remembering- that God in the Sa- 
crament of His love is not only deserving 
of homage, but that He desires these visits 
because they are a source of delight to Him. 
In these visits we should elicit acts of 
faith, hope and charity; we should offer 
Him our petitions, we should offer ourselves 
to Him asking Him to dispose concerning 
us as He pleases for His own honor and 
glory; we should make acts of contrition 
and humility and receive Him in spiritual 
communion, adding such prayers as our 
special necessities or private devotion may 
suggest. But these prayers must be fer- 
vent; our visits must not be the result of 
a frigid routine; they must proceed from 
a generous and devout disposition of the 
heart. 

Prayer-books containing pious reflections 
and prayers for every day of the week or 
month may sometimes be used with great 
advantage in making these visits to the 
Blessed Sacrament. 

We should often place ourselves in spirit 
before the tabernacle to offer our homage 
to our Divine Master and to thank Him 



48 

for remaining- in our midst in this Sacra- 
ment. In this way we may daily visit 
Him hundreds of times whilst eng-ag-ed in 
our cells in the class-room or wherever 
else obedience may detain us. 



-:o:- 



CHAPTER IV. 

Prayer. 

The subject matter of this chapter is 
very extensive and the knowledge of it is 
of the utmost importance to all, but es- 
pecially to Religious; for prayer is an es- 
sential and almost continual occupation of 
Religious, prescribed by the very nature 
of their vocation and sometimes also by 
foundations made by g-enerous benefactors 
of their monasteries or convents. Moreover, 
prayer is the key of heaven it opens the 
treasures of divine grace, so that he, who 
knows how to pray well, may confidently 
hope to obtain anything- he may ask from 
God. On account of the breadth and copi- 
ousness of this subject we will devide the 
treatise on prayer in three articles and 
speak 

1. on prayer in g-eneral, 

2. on vocal prayer, 

3. on mental prayer. 



49 
ARTICLE I. 

Prayer in General. 

§ 1. Nature of Prayer. 

Prayer is the elevation of the mind to 
God. It is a colloquy of the soul with 
God by means of the intellect, which serves 
the will as a tong-ue and interpreter. Such 
a colloquy is not possible without a de- 
tachment of the mind from lowly and 
earthly thing's and its union with the Su- 
preme Being*, with Whom it speaks. It 
is therefore clear that this elevation of 
the mind to God is essential to prayer. 
In prayer we always have some end or 
object in view. All the particular objects 
or puposes of prayer may be reduced to 
these four g-eneral objects: 

1. To praise and glorify God on account 
of His infinite perfections; 

2. to ask graces or other favors for our- 
selves or others; 

3. to return thanks to God for benefits 
received; 

4. to beg pardon for our offenses throug-h 
the merits of Jesus Christ. St. Paul seems 
to have insinuated these objects of prayer 
when he said: In every thing by prayer and 
supplication, with thanksgiving, Let your 
petitions be made known to God. (Philip. 
4, 6.) 



so 



§ 2. Excellence of Prayer. 



Through -prayer man shows reverence to 
God, by submitting himself to Him, and 
acknowledging his dependence from the Au- 
thor of all good. Hence it is clear that 
prayer is an act of the virtue of Religion. 
(Str Thorn. 2. 2. qu. 83. a. 3.) Religion is 
the first and chief of all the moral virtues; 
it follows therefore that prayer, which is 
an act of religion, must be something- very 
excellent and sublime. But apart from this 
prerogative, which accrues to prayer from 
the fact that it belongs to the virtue of 
religion, it possesses an other and intrinsic 
excellence founded in the very nature of 
prayer. Prayer, as has been said, is a col- 
loquy with God, it is an interview with 
God, in which, as St. Chrysostom says, we 
ask whatever we desire and receive what- 
ever we ask, without fear of refusal since 
Christ himself has plighted His word say- 
ing: Ask, and you shall 7'eceive. (John 16, 
24.) Hence we justly infer with St. Chry- 
sostom: // is a sign of great stupidity not 
to realize how exceedingly honoi'able it is 
to pray, not to love prayer, not to believe 
that it is the death of the soul not to adore 
God. 

§ 3. Usefulness of Prayer. 

Prayer recommends itself no less by its 
usefulness than by its intrinsic excellence. 



51 

The principal fruits of prayer are: 

1. The merit of the act itself. 

2. A more intimate union with God, which 
constitutes the very essence of happiness 
in this life as well as in the next. 

3. Progress in the science of the Saints, 
which alone is necessary for salvation and 
which is promised to prayer in the words: 
If any of you want wisdom let him ask 
of God, Who giveth to all abundantly. 
(James 1, 5.) 

4. Extirpation of vices, victory over temp- 
tations, it puts to flight the devils, who 
openly or secretly make their attacks upon 
us. Hence Christ, speaking* of a certain 
kind of demons, says: This kind is not cast 
out but by prayer and fasting. (Matt. 17, 20.) 
He also admonishes us: Watch ye and pray 
that ye enter not into temptation. (Matt. 
26, 41.) St. Lawrence Justinian says: The 
devil fears nothing so much as the pious 
aspirations of those who pray; he is tor- 
tured by prayer as ?nuch as by the fire of 
hell. 

5. an increase of spiritual fervor by 
means of the more abundant and powerful 
graces, which God bestows upon us in 
virtue of our prayers, so that St. Augustine 
was rig-ht when he said: He knows how 
to live well, who knows how to pray well; 
and St. Chrysostom says: There is nothing, 
by which we advance so rapidly towards 



52 

holiness as by the art of prayer. (Horn, on 
Prayer.) By prayer we associate with God; 
hence, if it is true that we become like 
those, with whom we associate, we will 
become holy if we lead lives of prayer. 

6. Streng-th and courage in all the vicis- 
situdes of life, all that is required for the 
well-being- of body and soul; for the pro- 
mises made to prayer are g-eneral without 
limitation. Ask, and it shall be given you; 
seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall 
be opened to you. For every one that asketh, 
receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth, and 
to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. 
(Matt. 7, 7. 8.) 

Well, then, has some one said: Prayer 
in a certain way makes man omnipotent, 
for what God can effect by com?nand man 
can effect by prayer. 

Great therefore is the happiness of the 
Religious, to whom it has been given to 
devote almost all their time to this most 
useful occupation of prayer and who thereby 
can acquire immense treasures of merits 
and inestimable temporal and spiritual ad- 
vantages for themselves and others. 

§ 4. Necessity of Prayer. 

Prayer is not only useful, it is also ne- 
cessary. It is a duty imposed upon all, 
who have come to the use of reason, by 
the natural law as well as by the positive 



53 

command of God. It is a duty imposed 
by natural law, because the supreme and 
infinite majesty of God demands that man 
should be subject to God and acknowledge 
his dependence from the Creator; and the 
generosity of God, which proclaims His con- 
tinual goodness towards man, demands 
gratitude. But by prayer we acknowledge 
our dependence from God and show our 
gratitude for favors received from Him. 

That God positively directed man to 
pray is clear from many texts of S. Script- 
ure particularly of the New Law, in which 
prayer is not only counseled but also com- 
manded according- to the unanimous inter- 
pretation and teaching* of the Fathers and 
councils of the Church. Hence the Ca- 
techism of the council of Trent says: In 
the first place then the pastor is to teach 
the necessity of prayer; a ditty not only 
reco?nmended by way of counsel, but also 
enforced by positive precept. Our Lord 
Himself has said: We should pray always; 
(St. Luke 18, 1.) and this necessity of 
prayer the Church declares in the prelude, 
if we may so call it, to the Lord's Prayer 
in her liturgy: Admonished by salutary pre- 
cepts and taught by divine instruction, we 
f resume to say : Our Father etc. 

Moralists do not agree in determining 
when Christians in general are obliged to 
pray under pain of mortal sin, but so much 
is certain that there is some obligation to 



54 

pray in all great necessities of body and 
soul, whether public or private, whenever 
the honor of God, religion or faith is seri- 
ously threatened, whenever public prayers 
of thanksgiving- or supplication are ordered 
by ecclesiastical authority. But Religious 
are in a special manner obliged to pra}~ 
they bind themselves by their profession 
to strive continually after perfection and 
hence they require more abundant and 
greater graces; but prayer is the ordinary 
means of obtaining these graces and con- 
sequently those Religious, who neglect 
prayer are in great danger of losing their 
vocation and may easily lose the state of 
grace. A Religious destitude of the pano- 
ply of prayer, will soon succumb to the 
attacks of the enemy — he is an unarmed 
soldier. 

§ 5. Conditions of Prayer. 

Since God has promised to hear our 
prayer infallibly only when it is accom- 
panied by certain conditions, it is of great 
importance to know what these conditions 
are. The conditions requisite to a good 
prayer partly precede, partly accompany 
and~ partly follow prayer itself. The only 
condition required before prayer is a proper 
preparation. Before % prayer prepai'e thy 
soul, and be not as a man that te?npteth 
God. (Eccli. 18, 23.) This preparation is 



55 

twofold, remote and proximate. The re- 
mote preparation consists in probity of life, 
purity of heart and recollection of mind; 
the proximate consists in a short, practical 
and earnest reflection on the nature and 
importance of prayer itself. This consid er- 
ation is made practical and earnest by an 
act of faith in the majesty of Him, to 
Whom prayer is directed, and the nothing- 
ness of him, who addresses it to God; by 
an act of hope in the goodness of God 
and a lively conviction of one's own indi- 
gence; by an act of love joined with an 
act of sorrow for past transgressions and 
a firm purpose of amendment, for God does 
not despise an humble and contrite heart 
and The prayer of him that humbleth him- 
self shall pierce the clouds. (Eccli. 35, 21.) 

The conditions, which must accompany 
prayer, are: 

1. Attention, which excludes all volun- 
tary distractions; 

2. petition in the name of Christ, by 
asking- eve^thing in the name and through 
the merits of the Saviour, and not asking 
anything contrary to our own salvation; 

3. unshaken confidence that our prayer 
will be heard founded upon the infinite 
power and mercy of God, His fidelity, His 
absolute promise, His boundless goodness, 
His generosity, which we have so often 
experienced, and the mediation of our Lord 



56 

Jesus Christ, Who could say to His Father 
/ know that Thou hearest me always: (John 
11, 42.) 

4. perfect resignation, implicit or ex- 
plicit, as to the success of our prayer. 

The condition, which must follow prayer, 
is perseverance. If our prayer is not heard 
immediately we must not become diffident 
or impatient, but continue to pray, if not 
formally and explicitly, at least virtually 
and implicitly by doing* everything* with 
the g*ood intention of pleasing* God. He 
always frays, who always loves, (St. Aug*.) 

§ 6. Impediments of Prayer. 

Devout prayer involves two thing's, 
namely, attention and fervor. Attention 
to prayer is the voluntary application of 
the mind to what we say in prayer; fervor 
is the application of the will excluding* 
all sloth and tepidity in prayer. Devout 
prayer therefore excludes all voluntary dis- 
tractions and implies a dilig*ent application 
of the mind to prayer. This devotion is 
essential to prayer, it is therefore neces- 
sary and sufficient and may be defined as 
an alacrity and fervor of the soul in all 
thing's that appertain to divine worship. 
This devotion is never wanting* except 
throug*h our own fault; hence in order 
that it may never be lacking*, we should 
ask it from God in fervent prayer. We 



57 

should nourish it by frequently meditating- 
on the truths of our faith, especially on 
those, which are well adapted to remove 
all slothfulness, to encourage us in the 
practice of virtue and to withdraw our 
minds from earthly thing's and direct them 
to thing's that are above. The readiness 
of the will is sometimes accompanied by 
a certain sweetness, relish or joy, which 
occasionally communicates itself even to 
the body. But this sensible devotion is not 
essential to prayer, it is only integral and 
accidental; nevertheless it is a great aid 
to prayer and perfection. This sweetness 
of prayer may be wanting- without any 
fault on our part and consequently its ab- 
sence should not disquiet us; but since it 
perfects that devotion, which is essential 
to prayer, we should endeavor to obtain 
it from God by asking* it with humility 
and resig-nation and dispose ourselves for 
it by a dilig-ent practice of mortification. 

Whatever, therefore diminishes or de- 
stroys the attention of the mind or the 
fervor of the will, that, and that only, is 
an impediment to the devotion, which is 
essential to prayer. Now, it is plain that 
the impediments to devout prayer arise 
either from sloth, which is a kitid of in- 
ertion of the soul refusing- to undertake 
and execute thing's that are difficult, or 
from distraction, which is a detachment 
and aberration of the mind from the matter 



58 

or object of prayer, whilst the imagination 
is feeding - upon useless and frivolous thing's. 
Distractions may occur whilst we are quite 
unwilling*, even whilst we strug-g-le ag-ainst 
them; in this case they are involuntary 
and have no bad effect upon prayer. But 
as soon as we begin to entertain them by 
g-iving- them our consent they become volun- 
tary, and then they are not only injurious 
to prayer, but they even destroy it entirely 
by removing- that, which constitutes the 
very essence of prayer, namely, the ele- 
vation of the mind to God. 

Distractions may be voluntary either di- 
rectly and in themselves or indirectly and 
in their causes. A distraction is voluntary 
directly and in itself when we wilfully, 
diliberately and advertently dwell upon 
any thoug-ht or representation, which is 
incompatible with prayer; a distraction is 
voluntary indirectly and in its cause when 
we do or omit something-, which naturally 
bring-s on an aberration of the mind. 

In order to remove the distrations, which 
occur during- prayer, it is absolutely neces- 
sary to remove their causes, the remote 
as well as the proximate. The remote 
causes of distractions are: 

1. Habitual disquietude and perturbation 
of mind arising- from bad passions, inordi- 
nate attachments and desires; for these 
carry away the imagination and fix it upon 
objects cong-enial to themselves; 



59 



2. unrestrained and habitual freedom and 
curiosity of the senses, especially of the 
eves, which fill the fancy and memory 
with thousands of representations, which 
recur most persistently during* the time of 
prayer; 

3. curiosity of the mind always occupy- 
ing* itself with friyolous thoughts that are 
foreign to the state of perfection; seldom 
recollected it does not learn to control its 
own thoughts and the imagination, and 
therefore gradually creates an earthly, 
worldly and animal heart, which neither 
perceives nor relishes the thing's that are 
of the Spirit of God; 

- 4. an inordinate care and solicitute about 
our official duties, which destroy attention 
by overwhelming* the mind with too many 
occupations or drive it away by precipitate 
activity and an inordinate apprehensiveness 
as to the happy termination of our external 
labors. 

The proximate causes of distractions are: 

1. The omission of the remote and proxi- 
mate preparation spoken of in the preced- 
ing* paragraph; 

2. the culpable omission of the frequent 
and loving* remembrance of the presence 
of God; 

3. present disregard of the custody of 
the senses, especially of the eyes; 



60 

4. present negligence in trying* to keep 
the mind from wandering-; 

5. voluntary neg*lig*ence in banishing- 
distractions from the mind by offering- 
them only a slug*g*ish, weak and feeble 
resistance, the unhappy offspring* of sloth 
and tepidity; 

6. culpable disreg-ard of the helps to de- 
votion spoken of in the next paragraph. 

St. Bernard seems to sum up all the 
causes of distractions in the words: Want 
of earnestness, engrossing care, guilt of con- 
science and disturbing fancy. 

Involuntary distractions also have their 
causes, but it is not in our power to re- 
move them; they are principally these 
three: 

1. "The intrinsic weakness of our nature, 
which is the source of our mental insta- 
bility; 

2. the envy and malice of the devil, who 
endeavors in every possible way to destroy 
our devotion at prayer; 

3. the kindness and g-oodness of God, 
Who either punishes us for past infidelities 
or cleanses us from the dross of self-love. 

§ 7. What to do when we find ourselves 
distracted in Prayer. 

Since prayer is a duty imposed by divine 
precept and since God can not oblig-e man 



61 

to do what is impossible, He can not deny 
the grace necessan' for prayer, provided we 
do what lies in our power by removing- the 
causes of distractions and by applying - the 
means conducive to devotion in prayer. 
Here it is necessary to inquire first of all 
whether our distractions are voluntary or 
not. If we find that they are voluntary 
then we must seek their causes and sources, 
which have been pointed out in the fore- 
going- paragraph, and when we have dis- 
covered them we must apply the proper 
remedies. 

The remedies, diametrically opposed to 
the sources of distractions, are: 

1. Peace and tranquillity of mind, which 
exclude all inordinate passions and attach- 
ments and are obtained by a persevering- 
and generous practice of mortification and 
abneg-ation of self-love and by a continual 
and total renunciation of the world; 

2. a careful and rigid custody of the 
senses, especially of the eyes; 

3. a constant practice of recollection 
joined to frequent spiritual reading-, so that 
the mind may be filled with holy thoug-hts 
and elicit pious aspirations; 

4. a fervent preparation, elevating- the 
mind to God by acts of faith, humility, 
hope, contrition, charity and religion; 

5. an humble, ardent and constant prayer 
to God for the gift of prayer, saying- to 
Him: Lord, teach its to pray. (Luke 11, 1.) 



62 

Since recollection is so very necessary to 
devout prayer, it may be well to explain 
very briefly wherein it consists and to call 
attention to the means of acquiring- it. 
Recollection is nothing- else than a dilig-ent 
remembrance of the presence of God. This 
practice will produce a state or condition 
of the soul, in virtue of which, midst all 
occupations and all intercourse with others, 
it will enjoy an uninterrupted interior 
peace and silence and constantly cling- to 
God alone. 

This exercise engag-es the three faculties 
of the soul and therefore unites it entirely 
with God. The memory recalls to our 
mind the presence of God; the intellect by 
means of active faith sees God always pre- 
sent by simple intuition, without any 
phantastic representations; the will tends 
towards God by fervent aspirations suitable 
to the present state of the soul, or to our 
present employment, or to the feast, which 
is being- celebrated or to the three stag-es 
of the spiritual life. These aspirations 
should alw^ays be short, not too numerous, 
not too diversified, and they should always 
be directed to God as intimately present 
to us. Such aspirations can be plentifully 
g-athered from our meditations and exam- 
inations of conscience, from the Psalms or 
other books of devotion. 

The habit and practice of recollection 



63 



may be acquired by paying- attention to 
four thing-s; they are: 

. 1. A strict g-uard over our tong-ues as to 
the time, matter and manner of speaking*. 
Obedience, prudence and loye of silence 
must direct us when to speak; the subject 
matter of our conyersations should invari- 
ably be g-ood and edifying*, and our man- 
ner of speaking* must be circumspect. Peter 
Blosius (Ep. 100.) says: We speak circum- 
spectly when charity, necessity or utility re- 
quire us to speak: when we speak of God 
with dignity, of ourselves with humility, of 
our neighbor with edification. When we 
speak to g-iye some relaxation to the mind 
our conversation should always be seasoned 
with eyang-elical wisdom, it should be 
thoug-htful, dig-nified and virtuous, so that 
the soul may have something* to feast upon 
while the mind is being- reg-aled. 

2. Custody of one's cell. We should never 
leave it except when necessity or duty de- 
mands, and then we should raise the mind 
to God asking- from Him the grace to avoid 
everything- that mig-ht in any way be inju- 
rious to the soul. Whilst we are outside 
of our cells we should positively refuse to 
listen to vain and dang-erous conversations 
and not allow ourselves to g-aze upon ob- 
jects from mere curiosity. 

3. Avoidance of such occupations, which 
by their very nature are apt to cause dis- 
tractions. We should therefore not eng-ag-e 



64 

in too many things; this overwhelms the 
mind. We should avoid all inordinate 
haste and hurry in fulfilling our duties; 
this leaves no room for the operations of 
the spiritual faculties of our soul. We 
should avoid all inordinate anxiety regard- 
ing* the issue of our undertakings by a 
childlike confidence in the providence of 
God and b}^ a manly contempt of the judg- 
ment of the world. 

These, then, are the means, by which 
recollection is acquired and nourished, by 
which, in turn, distractions are diminished 
and gradually exterminated. 

Involuntary distractions, since they are 
not injurious to prayer, do not require a 
remedy, in fact there is none, since it is 
not in our power to remove their causes. 
However, because they often discourage 
the beginner and cause dejection of spirit, 
and because they can be diminished by 
careful attention, we will briefly speak of 
them also. 

When these involuntary distractions pro- 
ceed from our corrupt nature, that is, from 
a restless, unsteady and flighty fancy, then 
we should beseech God to apply His power- 
ful and healing graces to remedy this de- 
pravity of our natures. We should fill the 
mind with holy ideas gleaned from spiri- 
tual books and teach it to think of God 
and cling to Him by a diligent remem- 
brance of the divine presence. 



65 

If they occur from a special permission 
of God, Who by means of them chastises 
us for our past transgressions or tests our 
fidelity in His service or purifies us from 
self-love, we should lovingly kiss the hand 
of the Lord midst acts of compunction, 
patience, humility, resignation etc. From 
these acts we must not desist even when 
they appear to proceed from the lips rather 
than from the heart; on the contrary we 
should humble ourselves, before God on 
account of our hardness of heart and desire 
that these acts might proceed from intense 
love and in accordance with the good 
pleasure of God; but in doing so we must 
always prove our sincerity by an unswerv- 
ing patience in struggling against distrac- 
tions. 

If, however, as is frequently the case, 
they come from the devil, we must battle 
against him manfully, and never lose cour- 
age even though he should be most vehe- 
ment and persistent in his attacks and even 
though we should occasionally be guilty 
of some negligence in resisting his on- 
slaughts. Animated by a firm belief and 
confidence that God will not permit us to 
be tempted beyond our strength and that 
these very distractions are a source of 
great merit as long as we withstand man- 
fully, we should frequently send up our 
sighs to Christ our Savior saying to him: 

5 



66 

Jesus, son of David, have mercv on me. 
(Mark. 10, 47.) 

Should the devil in time of prayer not 
only endeavor to distract us but also posi- 
tively tempt us to sin e. g., of blasphemy, 
or against holy purity or against faith, 
then we should solemnly protest against 
these temptations before we begin our 
prayers; we should meet them with acts 
of faith, adoration and love and with a 
holy resolve to guard ag-ainst everything 
that might be offensive or detrimental to 
purity of heart or body, and we should 
stipulate that whenever the assaults of hell 
are repeated, these acts be also repeated 
and ratified again everytime that we call 
upon God with the heart or by any out- 
ward sign. After we have made such a 
protest, all temptations are to be met with 
utter contempt without any uneasiness or 
disquiet; we must pay no attention to them 
but pass them by like little curs barking 
at the wayside; we must not resist them 
outwardly by shaking- the head, contorting 
the features etc., we should not even in- 
wardly make any positive resistance espe- 
cially when we notice that they increase 
and grow stronger when we offer them 
opposition. 

We have seen what is required in order 
to pray well; we will now call attention 
to five things, which will tend to make 



67 

the practice of prayer easy. They are the 
following-: 

1. The practice of mortification, interior 
as well as exterior; ascetic and mystic 
writers without exception lay down the 
following* axioms: Mortification engenders 
and preserves devotion. Whoever wishes 
to overcome dryness in prayer must practice 
penitential works; 

2. a certain freedom and expansion of 
the mind, in virtue of which we do not 
scrupulously cling- to any particular form 
of prayer but vary it according* to circum- 
stances, e. g-. by substituting- vocal prayer 
for meditation when we feel ourselves in- 
disposed for mental prayer. For, should a 
person violently force himself to one par- 
ticular kind of prayer, he would weaken 
the mind and heart, he would become dis- 
gusted with prayer and he might even 
despair of ever obtaining* the gift of prayer. 
You must not think that but little progress 
is made by using vocal prayer provided it 
be done well; Jor I assure you it is quite 
possible that whilst you recite the Our Father 
or any other vocal prayer, God ?nay elevate 
you to the very height of perfect contem- 
plation; (St. 'Theresa, Way of Perfection, 
chap. 25.) 

3. change in the method of prayer. Ac- 
cording to St. Ignatius we can pray in 
three different ways, first by reflecting 
upon ourselves during prayer and examin- 



68 

ing* ourselves in reference to the present 
matter of our prayer; secondly by consider- 
ing- the obvious text of our prayer; thirdly 
by pausing* after every few words to make 
the aspirations sug-gested by the words we 
have just uttered; 

4. a short examination after prayer to 
see how we have prayed and whence our 
distractions or other imperfections pro- 
ceeded. To this examination we should 
subjoin an act of sorrow for the defects 
and faults committed during- prayer together 
with a resolution to do better in future by 
applying* the proper remedies; 

5. a thoug*htful transition from one prayer 
to the next, by offering* up our past prayers, 
by petitioning for the grace to pray well 
the next time, by renewing* the g*ood in- 
tention with aspirations of love. 

Let us, therefore, constantly strive to 
remove the obstacles to devotion so that 
we may always pray well, for if we pray 
well we will also live well. 



ARTICLE II. 

Vocal Praykr. 
§ 1. Nature and Division of Vocal Prayer. 

Vocal prayer is that elevation of the 
mind to God, by which we pray to Him 
with the lips or voice as well as with the 



69 

heart. Vocal prayer, therefore, besides 
the attention of the intellect and fervor 
of the will, which are essential to every 
form and kind of prayer, also involves the 
use of the voice, lips and tongue, because 
we give expression in words or some other 
outward signs to the thoughts and affec- 
tions, which proceed from the faculties of 
the soul during prayer. Vocal prayer may 
be either public or private. It is public 
when it is offered by a community or in 
the name of a community by a public 
minister appointed for that purpose; the 
place where these prayers are offered may 
be private but the prayer is a public prayer. 
Private prayer is that, which is offered by 
a private person or even by a public minis- 
ter acting as a private person; such a prayer 
is called private even when it is offered in 
a public place and for a community. Public 
prayer is so fixed, established and regu- 
lated by a public authority that the indi- 
vidual is not at liberty to change anything, 
not even one word; private prayer on the 
contrary is entirely at the option of the 
individual so that he may give expression 
to his sentiments as he pleases. 

§ 2. Antiquity of the Canonical Hours 
or Divine Office. 

Just as all that was said in the preced- 
ing article on prayer in general applies 



70 

to vocal as well as to mental prayer, so 
also what shall be said in this article on 
public vocal prayer can and must be under- 
stood as appertaining- also to private prayer. 
This article will treat directly only of pub- 
lic prayer, because this is at the same time 
the principal occupation and greatest obli- 
gation of Religious founded in the virtue 
of religion and frequently also in that of 
justice. We will therefore first propose a 
few considerations, which will tend to ex- 
cite in us a hig-h estimation and reg-ard 
for this kind of prayer and then we will 
explain how the practice of this prayer 
may be rendered more easy and fruitful. 
The public prayer, of which we speak and 
which is so intimately and inseparably con- 
nected with our state of life, is the Divine 
Office or Sacred Psalmody, in praise and 
commendation of which, nothing- greater 
or more honorable can be said than that 
it is of apostolic institution. 

This could easily be proven, but it is 
not necessary; the criterion of St. Aug-ustine 
is sufficient for our present purpose. He 
says: Whatever has been observed by the 
• Church everywhere and at all times, and 
can not be -proven to have been instituted 
by General Council or by the Supreme Pon- 
tiffs is most justly considered to have its 
origin in apostolic tradition. 

Cardinal Bona has collected the monu- 
ments of ecclesiastical history from the 



71 

first to the seventeenth century bearing- 
upon this point, and these monuments, 
which are found in his work entitled "The 
Divine Psalmody", prove conclusively that 
the practice of singing- and reciting- psalms 
has always existed in the Church, and yet 
its origin is not found in the canons of 
any General Council nor in any Pontifical 
Decree. But even positive arguments could 
be advanced to prove the antiquity of this 
holy psalmody. Thus we read that Christ 
and His disciples after the last supper 
sang a hymn and then went out to Mount 
Olivet. In I. Paralipomenon chap. 23. 
and 25. King David regulates the public 
service of God. The Levites are to stand 
in the morning to give thanks, and to sing 
the praises of the Lord, (23, 30.) He also 
appointed 288 chanters and' musicians and 
divided them into 24 courses or choirs. 

Of them it is said: All these were 

distributed to sing in the temple of the Lord, 
with cymbals, and psalteries, and harps, 
for the service of the house of the Lord. 
(25, 6.) This pious practice of the Old 
Law was continued by the Apostles and 
the early Christians. We read in the Acts 
that the Apostles went up to the temple 
at stated hours to pray, and St. Paul even 
commands the faithful to occupy themselves 
continually in worshipping God: Teaching, 
and admonishing one another in psalms, 
hymns and spiritual canticles, singing in 



72 

grace' in your hearts to God. (Coloss. 3, 16.) 
This practice was not abolished or lost 
sight of in the course of time, but it took 
a more definite form in the second century, 
when St. Ignatius introduced the custom 
of singing* the hymns and psalms by two 
alternating- choirs in his church at Antioch. 
In the third century the Apostolic Consti- 
tutions, as they are called, direct the 
bishops and priests to exercise a special 
care that this method of chanting" psalms 
be observed by the faithful. Those, there- 
fore, who assert that the canonical office 
originated with monasticism pervert eccle- 
siastical history, which proves to the satis- 
faction of every intelligent mind that in 
the first centuries this practice was general 
in the universal Church. But when the 
piety of the faithful began to grow cold, 
then the ecclesiastical authorities directed 
that the clergy and afterwards also the 
Religious, who are in a special manner 
consecrated to God, should continue to sing 
and recite the canonical hours in the name 
of the faithful and of the universal Church. 

§ 3. Dignity and Excellence of the Canonical 
Office or Sacred Psalmody. 

Not wishing to repeat what was said 
above regarding the dignity and excellence 
of prayer in general, we will select from 
the numberless encomiums, which the Fa- 



73 

thers and ascetical writers bestow upon the 
sacred psalmody, a few prerogatives, which 
belong- more directly arid exclusively to this 
particular kind of prayer. 

1. The sacred psalmody is pre-eminently 
a praj r er of divine praise. It is composed 
of psalms and canticles dictated by the 
Holy Ghost Himself for this very purpose, 
that they might be used to praise and 
glorify God. And, if it is a token of child- 
like familiarity and confidence to ask God 
to give us what is His, as St. Cyprian 
says, then, certainly our prayer of praise 
will also be most acceptable to Him, when 
we praise Him in the very words, which 
He Himself has taught us: for, who can 
imagine expressions of praise more exalted 
than those, which eternal Wisdom revealed 
to man and demands from man? Even 
when God rejected the sacrifice of the old 
Law he said to his people: Offer to God 
the sacrifice of praise; and again: The sa- 
crifice of praise shall glorify Me, (Ps. 49, 
14. 23.) 

2. To sing psalms, hymns and canticles 
is the office and occupation of the Angels. 
Isaias (chap. 5.) and St. John (Apocal. 
chap. 4.) tell us that the Angels surround 
the throne of God to adore, praise and 
glorify Him and in this way to manifest 
their love of Him. Hence St. Bonaventure 
calls the sacred psalmody an imitation of 
the musical harmonies of heaven, and Ter- 



74 

tullian said that those who sing* psalms 
belong* to the family of the Ang*els. St. 
Bernard does not hesitate to assert that 
Ang-els take their places in the midst of 
those who sing* psalms in choir, and 
grounds his assertion on the words of the 
psalmist: Princes went before joined with 
singers, in the midst of young damsels play- 
ing on timbrels. (Ps. 67, 26.) 

3. The holy psalmody is a most devout 
and touching* form of prayer, because the 
psalms, very frequently single versicles of 
them, are replete with holy emotions of 
the soul or most diversified and sublime 
acts of virtue corresponding to the three 
stag-es of the spiritual life, and adapted 
to almost every possible condition and cir- 
cumstance in life. 

4. The sacred psalmody is a most effica- 
cious prayer, because it is a public prayer 
offered up in the name of the entire Church, 
and since Christ most tenderly loves the 
Church as His spouse and because the 
Church is most dear to God on account of 
the great and numberless merits of the just, 
who are or have been members of Christ's 
mystical body, her prayers will surely be 
heard and there is nothing that she can 
not obtain by prayer from her divine 
Spouse. 

From all that has been said it follows 
that those ecclesiastics and Religious, who 
recite the Divine Office only with great re- 



75 

pug-nance, without any interior or exterior 
devotion, who omit it or absent themselves 
from choir for trivial reasons, or even look 
upon it with contempt as an occupation 
replete with distractions, tiresome and too 
exacting-, or consider it a waste of precious 
time, which might have been devoted more 
profitably to study and to the work of sav- 
ing* souls, — it follows, I say, that such 
ecclesiastics and such Religious must be 
destitute of faith and have very little un- 
derstanding* and that they commit a serious 
offense ag-ainst the virtue of religion and 
sometimes also ag*ainst the virtue of justice. 
They show and confess that they are not 
spiritual but animal, that they occupy 
themselves only with external things and 
that their taste is vitiated, otherwise they 
would not experience a distaste, disg*ust 
and nausea in a form of prayer, in which 
the most saintly as well as the most learned 
of men have at all times tasted the sweet- 
ness of honey. If they can devote hours 
to the study of dangerous matters, if they 
can spend a great part of' the day in the 
reading of frivolous and fictitious stories 
and rumors, why should they not recite 
the Divine Office properly, which requires 
less time and is not so exacting upon the 
mind as study, which requires actual atten- 
tion, whereas virtual attention suffices for 
the recitation of the Office. To say that 
the holy psalmody takes away much valu- 



76 

able time, which might have been devoted 
to study and pastoral work, is a mere sub- 
terfuge; on the contrary it is to the interest 
of all other duties that the Divine Office 
be said well; for the proper recitation of 
the Office will obtain more abundant mea- 
sures of graces and will call down the 
blessing" of God upon our studies that we 
may be wise unto sobriety; (Rom. 12, 3.) 
it will call down the blessing* of Him 
upon our pastoral labors, who giveth the 
increase. (I. Cor. 3, 7.) Do we not see 
that in the course of so many centuries, 
just those, who were attentive and devoted 
to choir or to the recitation of the Divine 
Office outside of choir when duty demanded, 
have become and remained the teachers of 
an admiring' world by their voluminous and 
profoundly learned literary productions; do 
we not see that they were the indefatigable 
and successful laborers in the vineyard of 
the Lord, His co-laborers in the salvation 
of numberless souls, and have, therefore, 
not their entire lives been a standing- proof 
that such a charge ag-ainst the recitation 
of the Divine Office could originate only 
with men, who are destitute of every sense 
of piety and religion, that it is the ignoble 
offspring of tepidity and malice? 

§ 4. Utility of the Sacred Psalmody. 

There is a twofold advantage or utility 
in the recitation of the Divine Office. One 



77 

belongs to the individual who recites it, 
the other promotes the common good of 
the Church, in whose name it is offered. 
Both of these advantages proceed from the 
prerogatives of this prayer, which were 
enumerated in the preceding paragraph. 
For if the chanting or recitation of the 
sacred psalmody is an act of religion most 
pleasing to God, if it is replete with the 
most exalted acts of virtue, it is clear that 
it is always accompanied by the gain of 
great and manifold merits. Moreover if 
the psalmody is an inexhaustible treasure 
containing everything that is required for 
the cleansing and healing of the soul, 
everything that appertains to the instruc- 
tion, erudition and beauty of the spiritual 
man; and if the internal, untainted palate 
of the soul finds inexpressible delights in 
chanting the praises of God, it is evident 
that the psalmody is an antidote and spi- 
ritual remedy adapted to every condition 
and circumstance in life and to all the 
maladies of the soul. If therefore the 
psalmody becomes irksome and distasteful 
to us we must not ascribe this to the form 
of prayer but to our own defective dispo- 
sition of the heart. 

That the psalmody promotes the common 
good of the Church and even of the state 
or civil society is no less certain; for if the 
public prayer of the assembled faithful 
does holy and pleasing violence to God, 



78 

as Tertullian sa} r s, will not the prayers of 
ecclesiastics and Religious offered up in 
the name of the universal Church be much 
more acceptable to God, since not only 
the collective prayers, but also the merits 
of all the faithful lend it an extraordinary 
degree of force, weight and moving* power. 
Hence it is that the Church at all times 
ordered public prayers to be said by the 
assembled faithful when heresies, schisms, 
persecutions or other evils and calamities 
threatened to pervert the faith of her 
children or to deprive her of the right of 
worshipping* God as He desires and deserves 
to be worshipped. Temporal rulers also 
took their refuge to public prayer, and 
when calamities threatened their states 
they ordered their subjects to assemble and 
offer their united prayers to God for the 
welfare of the state. They even founded 
and endowed monasteries with the express 
purpose of securing* the continued favor 
and benediction of God for themselves and 
their subjects throug*h the public prayers 
of the Religious. If in modern times 
public opinion has changed regarding* the 
efficacy of prayer and the usefulness of 
those, who devote themselves to a life of 
prayer, it is indeed a sign of decaying 
faith but not an argument against the 
utility of public prayer; and in proportion 
as the piety of former ages has grown 
cold, the peace, tranquillity and virtuous- 



79 

ness of civil society have disappeared, 
whilst discontent, disquietude and ever} r 
phase of political heresy have taken their 
place. 

§ 5. Intention, Devotion and Attention required 
. in the recitation of the Divine Office. 

What has been said in the foregoing- 
paragraphs will tend to remove all distas.te 
for the recitation of the Divine Office. 
We will now inquire what is necessary 
that we may take part in the sacred 
psalmody with fruit and alacrity. To ob- 
tain this end three things are required, 
namely, intention, devotion and attention. 
The intention which is required for the 
recitation of the Divine Office is the will 
or readiness to pray and to praise God. 
This intention may be implicit, contained 
in the intention of complying with our 
duty and obeying the precept of the Church, 
which imposes this duty; or it may be ex- 
plicit, and this is the case when we ex- 
pressly and with reflection resolve to pray 
to God and to praise Him. Either of these 
intentions is sufficient, and one or the other 
is required that the psalmody, which might 
be directed to many ends or objects, may 
become a prayer psalmody. 

Devotion, of which we treated in the 
foregoing article, excludes all sloth, lazi- 
ness and indifference from the sacred psal- 



80 

mody; it implies a pious movement or dis- 
position of the will, for, as the council of 
Treves (a. D. 1549) says: God hears the 
voice of the heart without which He despises 
the voice of the mouth; hence those who 
sing psalms in the spirit (i. e. with atten- 
tion) should sing also with, the heart, (i e. 
devoutly.) To obtain this end St. Augus- 
tine supplies us with a g*olden rule, wiien 
he says that when we recite the psalter 
w^e should put on, as it were, the person 
of David and then by making- the senti- 
ments of the psalmist our own sentiments, 
we should recite the psalms as if they pro- 
ceeded from our own mind and heart; so 
that when the psalm is prayerful we also 
pray; if it is plaintive we also excite our- 
selves to compunction; if it is joyful we 
also rejoice in the Lord; if it is hopeful 
we also hope; if it expresses fear we also 
fear. This practice will tend to lessen the 
difficulty in being* attentive during- the 
psalmody, because by continually changing* 
the acts and affections of the soul we yield 
to our natural instability of mind without 
any detriment to prayer, and by this stra- 
tegy we convert into an aid to prayer what 
usually is a prolific source of distractions. 
Attention is twofold, external and inter- 
nal. External or material attention is a 
voluntary application of the mind to the 
proper pronunciation of the words and to 
the proper posture of the body during* 



81 

prayer. In virtue of this external attention, 
no omissions of ceremonies, no omission, 
transposition or syncopation of words is 
allowed to occur. It also excludes all move- 
ments and positions of the body or mem- 
bers of the body, which are inconsistent 
with prayer or at least betra}^ slovenliness 
and indifference in the worship of God. 
Internal or spiritual attention is a volun- 
tary application of the mind to the mean- 
ing- of the words of prayer. 

This, may be done in four ways: 

1. By paying- attention to the literal 
sense; 

2. by attention to the mystical sense; 

3. by concentrating- our thoughts upon 
God; 

4. by paying* attention to the words them- 
selves in as much as the}^ contain the 
praises of God and various acts of virtue. 
This last is called interpretative attention 
and is the most imperfect of all. It is suf- 
ficient, however, provided it be joined to 
the third by a cencentration of the mind 
upon God; it is also the only attention, 
which those can have, who do not under- 
stand the language in which they pray, 
and can consequently not pay attention to 
the literal or mystical sense of the words. 

Any one of these four kinds of internal 
attention is sufficient, but whether any in- 
ternal attention is required, whether ex- 



82 

ternal attention alone suffices, is a disputed 
question among- Theologians; but the Holy 
Rule undoubtedly requires from us Bene- 
dictines an internal attention when it says: 
Let us reflect with what respect we ought 
to appear before the majesty of God and 
His holy Angels; and let us acquit ourselves 
of this most holy exercise with such devotion 
that it may be truly said that our voice is 
the echo of our feelings, (chap. 19.) To the 
authority of the Holy Rule may be added 
that of the Church herself. In imposing 
upon ecclesiastics and Relig-ious the obli- 
gation of reciting- the Divine Office the 
Church undoubtedly intends that it should 
be recited religiously; she commands them 
to recite the Office in such a way that it 
may be truly a prayer acceptable to God 
and a source of graces to the faithful; but 
without at least some internal attention 
there can be no true prayer since the very 
essence of prayer consists in the elevation 
of the mind to God, and it is therefore 
clear that the words of prayer pronounced 
with the lips only can not be pleasing to 
God. Christ Himself has said: The true 
adorers shall adoi'e the Father in spirit and 
in truth, for the Father also seeketh such 
to adore Him. God is a spirit and they 
that adore Him, must adore Him in spirit 
and in truth. (John. 4, 23. 24.) It is re- 
quired that the rational and spiritual soul 
should take part in prayer by employing 



83 

its faculties of the higher order, namely, 
will, memory and understanding-, and that 
the affections of the heart should correspond 
to the words uttered by the lips. When 
the words of prayer find no sentiments in 
the heart, then they constitute only a 
semblance and mockery of prayer; they be- 
come the outward signs of the pharisaical 
hypocrisy, nestling- in the heart and which 
was so solemnly rebuked and detested by 
Christ. (Matt. 15, 7.) Such a prayer is 
worthless, it is not meritorious but on the 
contrary it may be to the greater damna- 
tion of him, who insults his God by offer- 
ing Him such a putrid service. 

That the Church intends to impose the 
strict obligation of reciting the Divine Of- 
fice with some internal intention is clear 
also from solemn and positive declarations 
made in her General Councils. The IV. 
Lateran Council requires that the Divine 
Office be said diligently and devoutly (chap. 
Dolentes etc. on the Cele. of Mass) and 
the Council of Trent commands that it be 
said reverently, distinctly mid devoutly, 
(Sess. 24. chap. 12.) Since, then, both 
Councils require devotion in the recitation 
of the Divine Office, and mere external at- 
tention is rather a mockery of devotion 
than true devotion, it follows that the 
Church has rejected the opinion of those, 
who would hold that such material atten- 



84 

tion is sufficient for the fulfillment of this 
obligation. 

In order to compty with the intention 
and desire of the Church in this matter, 
both internal and external attention are 
required; there can be no doubt about this 
statement. But in order to guard against 
scruples and an erroneous conscience, we 
must remember that the internal attention 
need not be actual and formal, for such 
an attention would be more than morally 
impossible, at least in prolonged prayer; 
but a virtual attention is sufficient, and this 
attention is nothing else than the actual 
and formal attention, with which prayer 
was begun, continuing in some or at least 
one of its effects. This virtual attention 
remains in force till it is recalled, either 
expressly by freely and deliberately discon- 
tinuing the application of the mind to 
prayer, or implicitly by negligence in re- 
sisting distractions or in removing their 
causes. Whoever, therefore, prepares him- 
self properly before prayer, keeps a strict 
custody over his senses, observes a reve- 
rential posture of the body, applies the 
means conducive to attention to the best 
of his ability and persistently recalls his 
thoughts when he finds them wandering 
about, he has at least a virtual attention 
and needs never repeat the recitation of 
the Divine Office, no matter how full of 



85 

distractions it may have been, because the 
distractions were all involuntary. 



§ 6. Nature of the Internal Attention, 

which is required to recite the 

Divine Office properly. 

We have seen that there are several 
kinds of internal attention, that some in- 
ternal attention is necessary, and that any 
of the attentions mentioned above is suffi- 
cient for the worthy recitation of the Di- 
vine Office. But we must not infer that 
they are all equally good and perfect; on 
the contrary, one of them is much better 
adapted to concentrate and steady the 
mind and to excite devotion, and this is 
the attention, which we pay to the sense 
of the words, which we utter. This sense 
may be either the literal, which itself may 
be grammatical or historical, or it may be 
the mystical, which is again sub-divided 
into the allegorical, having reference to 
faith and to the Church militant; the ana- 
gogical, having reference to hope and to 
the Church triumphant, and the tropological 
or moral, having reference to the morals 
and to charity. The literal sense, therefore, 
teaches us what has been done; the alle- 
gorical teaches us what we are to believe; 
the tropological teaches us what we are 
to do and the anagogical reminds us of 



86 

our future home.* The literal as well as 
the mystical sense is directly intended by 
the Holy Ghost, and both are often found 
in one and the same verse, sometimes even 
in a single word. For instance the word 
Jerusalem in the literal, historical sense is 
the name of the capital city of Palestine; 
in the allegorical sense it signifies the 
Church militant; in the analogical it is 
the Church triumphant, in the tropological 
it is the just or also the sinful soul. Some- 
times passages of Scripture are used in a 
sense not intended by the Holy Ghost; 
thus the Church applies to all Confessors 
the words spoken of Noe: Noe was found 
perfect, just, and in the time of wrath he 
was made a reconciliation. (Eccli. 44, 17.) 

Sometimes texts of Scripture are also 
used in this way to establish some truth 
on account of a certain parity existing be- 
tween a truth really expressed in the Sacred 
Text and that which we desire to prove; 
but since this accommodated sense is not 
intended by the Holy Ghost any argument 
based upon it does not rest upon divine 
authority. In general the use of the ac- 
commodated sense to establish truths is 
not to be recommended, for in using it the 
authority of God is at least seemingly 



* Litera gesta docet; quid credas allegoria; 
Moralis quid agas; quo tendas anagogia. 



87 

adduced for something", which He has never 
said. 

From what has been said it follows that 
attention to the mystical sense is best 
adapted to keep away^ distractions and to 
excite devotion during prayer. But this 
requires a thorough acquaintance with the 
psalms, and consequently those, who are 
desirous of having attention, devotion and 
even pleasure in reciting or chanting the 
Divine Office, should devote their spare 
moments to the reading of standard com- 
mentaries on the psalms, and often as 
well as attentively read some synopsis of 
them in order to acquire a flow of holy 
thoughts and affections during" the psal- 
mody itself. The reward of this practice 
will be that the psalms will become most 
pleasing- to us, spreading a profusion of 
heavenly lig-ht over the soul, because by 
means of the mystical sense they will al- 
ways represent to our minds the head and 
the members, Christ, namely, and the 
Church. In this way our singing of psalms 
will be worthy of rational beings, and not 
resemble the chattering of birds, and the 
words of the psalmist will be verified in 
regard to us: Blessed is the people that 
knoweth jubilation (Ps. 88, 16.) and we 
will imitate the Apostle, who says of him- 
self: / will pray in the spirit (by atten- 
tion and devotion) I will pray also in the 
understanding ; I will sing with the spirit 



88 

/ will sing also with the understanding. 
(I. Cor. 14, 15.) 

Meanwhile, if, before we arrive at a 
more perfect knowledge of the mystical 
sense of the psalms, we meet with passa- 
ges, which it is difficult to understand, we 
should bear in mind the admonition of St. 
Augustine when he says: Although the 
faithful may understand the psalms, which 
they sing, only very imperfectly, they are 
nevertheless convinced that what they sing 
is good and holy; the firmest support of the 
intellect is faith and the fruit of faith is 
understanding. (Tract. 22. on S. John.) 
By this faith we will prepare the way and 
we will gradually understand the obscure 
and difficult passages of the psalms by the 
light of those that are clear and readily 
understood. 

§ 7. Aids for preserving Attention during the 
recitation of the Divine Office. 

We will not repeat what was said above 
(art. 1. § 7.) in reference to prayer in 
general, but only add a few means of fix- 
ing the attention, which have a special 
bearing upon the sacred psalmody. 

The first is supplied by Cassian (Coll. 
10.) and consists in this that we recite the 
psalms as if they were our own produc- 
tions, as if they were our own prayer, ad- 
verting to the fact that they are daily 



89 

fulfilled in us and express the sentiments 
of our own hearts. 

The second aid is pointed out to us by 
Card. Bona (Horolog. ascet 3. 4.) and is 
found in the very nature of the psalms 
themselves, which contain the holiest effu- 
sions of the soul and constitute an inex- 
haustible source of the most exalted acts 
of virtue. If we elicit these acts in our 
innermost hearts, they can not fail to in- 
flame us with ardent fervor and holy zeal, 
especially if we mentally add to the words 
of the psalms such adverbs and adjectives 
as will serve to intensify their force, if 
we allow the interior acts of the soul to 
succeed each other in such a way that 
they find their expression in the words, 
which we are actually uttering-, or if we 
allow them to adapt themselves to the 
circumstances in which we ma}- be placed, 
or to the feast, which is being celebrated. 

The third means is one, which abun- 
dantly supplies the Religious with all that 
is necessary or useful to recite the Divine 
Office with becoming- attention. It consists 
in a devout contemplation of the mysteries 
of Christ's life and passion, many of which 
were foretold in the psalms and prefigured 
in the person of David. But lest we should 
occupy ourselves in this matter without 
any order, and consequently with little or 
no fruit, we should join the consideration 
of the principal mysteries to the different 



90 

canonical hours. This may be done in the 
following- manner: 

During- Matins we should represent to 
our minds how Christ, Who came into the 
world to free us from the captivity of the 
devil by loosing* us from our sins, is cap- 
tured and bound in the g-arden; at Prime 
we should remember how He was insulted 
by the Jews spitting- in His face; at Tierce 
we should call to mind how He was un- 
justly condemned to death; at Sext we 
should picture to ourselves the scene on 
Mount Calvary when He was nailed to the 
cross; at None we should stand in spirit 
at the foot of the cross to hear His dying- 
words, to see Him bow his head in death 
and to witness the opening- of His sacred 
side; at Vespers we should contemplate 
how the sacred body is taken down from 
the cross, and at Compline we should re- 
verently follow it to the tomb. 

The fourth means to avoid all interior 
and exterior irreverence at prayer, as well 
as at other exercises of piety and relig-ion, 
consists in a lively faith and a practical 
remembrance of the presence of God, before 
Whom we stand in the midst of Angels 
whilst we pray the Divine Office. This is 
a most effective aid to which St. Benedict 
in his Holy Rule (chap. 19.) directs our 
attention. But lest this practical remem- 
brance of the presence of God be extin- 
guished by sudden and frequent distrac- 



91 

tions, it is expedient to call to mind the 
presence of God and to renew the intention 
of praising* God at certain intervals or 
-parts of each canonical hour; e. g., at each 
4 'Glory be to the Father", etc., at the 
"Our Father", etc., at the Collect, at the 
invocation "O God, come to my aid" etc. 
In doing- so we will fan the dying- embers 
of devotion and if we adhere faithfully to 
this practice and gradually increase the 
number of such acts of faith in the divine 
presence at each canonical hour, we may 
rest assured that we not only have had a 
virtual attention but that we have made 
much progress towards preserving actual 
attention during- the Divine Office. 

§ 8. External Devotion and Reverence during 
Divine Office. 

From what has been said in paragraphs 
6. and 7. art. I. of this chapter, as well as 
from a consideration of the close union, 
which exists between the body and soul on 
account of which they exert a powerful 
influence upon one another, it is evident 
that among the means of preserving atten- 
tion during Divine Office not the last place 
must be assigned to external devotion and 
reverence. These must always accompany 
prayer on account of the exalted majesty 
of God, to Whom we pray, but they are 
more emphatically required in the sacred 



92 

psalmody because it is a public homage 
and worship offered to God in the name 
of the universal Church. 

This external devotion comprises four 
thing's: 

1. A proper posture of the body and its 
members. This excludes every vestige and 
shadow of ill-breeding* or indecorum. It is 
a reliable indication of interior fervor, pro- 
found humility and submissive reverence 
and manifests itself by a most scrupulous 
observance of all ceremonies, whether they 
be prescribed by law or introduced by 
praiseworthy custom. 

2. A close custody of the senses, parti- 
cularly of the eyes. This is so necessary 
that the neglect of it destroys the very 
essence of prayer, as it becomes the pro- 
ximate cause of numberless distractions. 

3. A manly dignity and seriousness in 
chanting, being mindful of the injunction 
of the psalmist: Sing ye wisely, (Ps. 46, 
8.) and again: I will praise Thee in a strong 
people. (Ps. 34, 18.) This will make the 
task of singing the praises of God agree- 
able, and the Religious will perform it 
without inordinate haste, without syncopa- 
tion of words, without dissonance of voice 
or tone; it will awaken and nourish in him 
a pious regard for the Divine Office, which, 
as he is well aware, occupies the place of 
honor among all his duties, and it will 



93 



cause him to exercise a special care to avoid 
everything- that might cause confusion or 
be a source of annoyance to others. 

4. A cheerfulness of voice and counte- 
nance, which requires of us that we recite 
the Divine Office without contortion of the 
features and with a becoming- volume of 
voice so that we may sing-, chant and re- 
cite the praises of God distinctly, manfully 
and with proper emphasis, not by stops 
and starts. Not in an effeminate or lazy 
manner, but with a sonorous voice and 
accent should we utter the words of the 
Holy Ghost to sound the praises of the 
Creator. 

All that has been said in reference to 
the recitation of the Divine Office in choir 
should also be observed when it is said 
alone or outside of choir. St. Benedict 
says in his Holy Rule: (chap. 50.) The 
brethren who work in places remote from 
the monastery and can not, in the Abbofs 
judgment, come to the place of prayer at 
the stated hours for the Office, should recite 
it where they are, on bended knee, (exterior 
devotion) and with reverential awe in the 
divine presence, (interior devotion and re- 
verence.) Those who are on a journey, must 
not allow the usual hours for the Office to 
pass without reciting it in private in the 
best way they can. This precept of the 
Holy Rule was scrupulously observed by 
our holy predecessors, and we also should 



94 

endeavor to comply with it to the best of 
our ability by not putting* off the recitation 
of the Office to a late hour unless where 
necessity or unforeseen circumstances make 
it impossible to say it at the hours desig- 
nated by the Holy Rule. 

Before beginning* we should make a g*ood 
intention by saying* the prayer, "Aperi", 
etc. and conclude it by reciting* the "Sa- 
crosanctae", etc. on our knees and repeatedly 
offer our unworthy prayers to the Blessed 
Trinity throug*h the hands of the Blessed 
Virgin, and in union with the merits and 
prayers of Christ. 

ARTICLE III. 

Mental Prayer or Meditation. 

Whatever has been said in article I. re- 
garding* the excellence of prayer in g*eneral 
is to be understood preeminently of mental 
prayer, which is by far the best and most 
effective means of arriving* at true santity 
of life and a hig*h degree of spiritual per- 
fection. The practice of mental prayer is 
everywhere, in the Scriptures as well as 
in the writing's and examples of the H0I3- 
Fathers, extolled as a most efficacious 
means of keeping* the divine law, of per- 
forming* works of justice and consequently 
of acquiring perfection. St. Paul recom- 
mends meditation to his disciple St. Timo- 



95 

thy that he may advance in perfection: 
Meditate upon these things, be wholly in 
these things, that thy pro fitting may be 
manifest to all. (I. Tim. 4, 15.) St. Au- 
gustine, speaking- on meditation says: (Ps. 
148.) // is not possible that one, who has 
good thoughts should lead a wicked life. 
St. Prosper says: (Serm. 218. on Meditation) 
Let the faithful 7neditate on the truths of 
God, when he is at leisure, and thereby 
gain strength to ' do good lest he fail in the 
performance of his duties. David frequently 
occupied himself in meditation as is appa- 
rent from the 118. psalm. The Apostles, 
during* the ten days that elapsed between 
the ascension of Christ and the advent of 
the Holy Ghost, soug-ht retirement and de- 
voted themselves to prayer. The Blessed 
Virgin, too, kept the words, which she 
heard from the shepherds pondering- them 
in her heart. (Luke 2, 19.) 

These examples have induced all saintly 
men but particularly Religious to make 
themselves thoroughly acquainted with 
mental prayer, and to practice it dilig-ently. 
With St. Thomas Aquinas they felt con- 
vinced that no one could live in a monas- 
tery and make spiritual progress without 
meditation and that, as St. Theresa says: 
(Way of Perfection, chap. 16.) Meditation 
is the first step towards acqtiiring every 
virtue. Hugh of St. Victor says (Method 
of Prayer) that mental prayer is so essen- 



96 

tial to vocal prayer that unless it is pre- 
ceded or accompanied by meditation vocal 
prayer is no prayer at all. If this is true, 
it follows that the same arguments, which 
prove the necessity of prayer in general, 
also prove the necessity- of some kind of 
mental prayer. Experience demonstrates 
that the facility and habit of eliciting- acts 
of faith, hope and charity, a practical hor- 
ror of sin and detestation of vice, a love 
of virtue and perseverance in good, together 
with all the other aids and means of ar- 
riving at perfection, are the results of fre- 
quent and fervent meditation. No wonder 
that Christ, when he wished to epitomize 
the art of acquiring perfection, said that 
it consists in affectionate meditation or 
mental prayer. But one thing is necessary; 
Mary hath chosen the best part. (Luke 
10, 42.) 

§ 1. Nature of Meditation. 

In a wider signification and in ordinary 
parlance, the words consideration, medita- 
tion and contemplation are often used pro- 
miscuously; but objectively and strictly 
speaking there is a vast difference in the 
meaning of these three words. They co- 
incide in this that all three words express 
a deep and serious reflection upon some 
truth; they differ as to the manner of mak- 
ing this reflection. If the reflection con- 



97 

sists of a simple intuition of some truth, 
i. e. if the mind simply dwells upon it, 
without trying- to explain it and without 
any process of reasoning- about it, then it 
is called contemplation; if the mind is oc- 
cupied with some truth, not endeavoring" 
to prove it by arguments, but rather makes 
effort to understand it clearly and fully in 
order to draw from it practical conclusions, 
then it is called consideration; but when 
the mind weighs the arg-uments, which are 
advanced in favor of some proposed truth, 
and also applies them practically and feel- 
ingly to itself, then we have what is pro- 
perly called meditation, which may be de- 
scribed as: An affect/til and p?'actical 
pondering upon some pai'ticular subject, by 
means of the three faculties of the soul, 
memory, understanding and will, for the 
-purpose of extirpating vices, acquiring vir- 
tues and of obtaining a more ardent Jove of 
God. Meditation, therefore, employs all 
three faculties of the soul, and for this 
reason is called mental prayer, and differs 
from vocal prayer in so far as it does not 
require the service of the tongue, the lips 
or any of the senses. Hence if anyone 
should content himself with a simple in- 
vestigation and demonstration of some 
truth, without the corresponding emotions 
of the heart and acts of the will, he would 
not make a meditation; and vice versa 
should he be satisfied with some indefinite 

7 



98 

and barren movement of the will, without 
considering- what he is practically to do or 
avoid and without resolving- upon some- 
thing definite, he would not meditate, for 
without this practice neither a solid con- 
version of morals, which is the proximate 
object of meditation, nor a persevering-, 
steadfast and deep-seated love of God, 
which is the ultimate object of mental 
prayer, can be obtained. 

Although a practical fruit may be ob- 
tained from every truth, yet many truths 
proposed at the same time are apt to over- 
whelm rather than convince the intellect; 
they become a source of mental dissipation 
rather than of edification. Hence it is very 
important that some one particular truth 
be taken as the subject matter of a me- 
ditation, and this matter should be selected 
and prepared on the preceding evening; 
for, if the selection of the matter is made 
at the beginning of the meditation it will 
take away much valuable time, which 
should be devoted to exercises of the in- 
tellect and will, from which the principal 
and substantial fruit of mental prayer de- 
pends. However, in choosing this matter 
of meditation we should not be guided by 
morbid curiosity, but we should be directed 
by obedience or consult our own spiritual 
need and interest. 



99 



§ 2. Preparation for Meditation. 



Just as you shall have shown yourself 
towa?'ds God, so God will show Himself 
towards you; (S. Bernard Serm. 69. on the 
Canticle) hence, as we have seen, a remote 
as well as a proximate preparation is ne- 
cessary for prayer, and this ag*ain is pre- 
eminently true of mental prayer. The re- 
mote preparation for meditation involves 
three things: 

1. A previous selection of the subject 
matter; 

2. a brief consideration of it in the 
evening before retiring-; 

3. a remembrance of it on awaking* in 
the morning-. 

The selection of the subject consists in 
choosing- the matter, in calling- to mind the 
arg-uments on which it rests, in noting- the 
sources of the affections of the will. When 
the points of meditation are read from a 
book, it will be sufficient to strive to un- 
derstand them well, to select the proofs 
and affections and to determine the special 
fruit or particular resolution, which is to 
result from the meditation. This should 
be impressed upon the mind by means of 
an aphorism or maxim, which can be rea- 
dily recalled to mind before retiring- and 
on awaking*. This aphorism or maxim 
should be a short, pithy sentence contain- 



100 

ing* the subject as well as the fruit of the 
meditation. 

The proximate preparation, which should 
be made in the place and at the time ap- 
pointed for the meditation, immediately 
before beginning" the exercise of the me- 
mory, consists of the following- acts, which 
should be elicited very briefly but with 
great fervor: 

1. An act of faith in the presence of God 
tog*ether with a short reflection upon the 
importance of what we are about to do; 
this act should be elicited most dilig-ently 
and carefully as it is the principal incen- 
tive, the mother and soul of all attention 
and fervor in prayer; 

2. an act of sorrow for the faults com- 
mitted in. former meditations, which have 
diminished the fruits of prayer; 

3. an act of confidence in the assistance 
of God and of diffidence in one's own 
streng-th; 

4. a resolution to make the present me- 
ditation as perfectly as possible; 

5. an act of resignation to the will of 
God as to whether He will fill our souls 
with consolation or allow them to remain 
cold and insensible. 

§ 3. Exercise of the Memory. 

What the introductory is to a sermon, 
that the exercise of the memory is to me- 



101 

ditation. It is the office of the memory to 
propose or present to the understanding- 
as briefly as possible the subject of the 
meditation, either by presenting* the whole 
subject to be considered by an aphorism 
or short sentence, or by painting-, as it 
were, in lively colors all the circumstances 
of the subject, which we are about to con- 
sider, thereby placing the entire scene so 
vividly before the eyes of the soul as thougii 
it were being- really enacted before us. 
The former method is to be used when the 
subject is something- entirely spiritual and 
remote from the senses or when the ima- 
gination is weak and slug-g-ish; the latter 
method is to be followed when the subject 
is one which falls under the observation 
of the senses, e. g\ parables, . historical 
facts, etc. or when the imagination is very 
active. 

Should it so happen that the mere re- 
membrance of the subject calls forth ap- 
propriate affections and acts of the will, 
then we should not disturb the will, but 
allow it to continue in its acts and re- 
solutions till its force is exhausted, till it 
craves for more food. The exercise of the 
memory and understanding- are only means 
to move the will; hence, as soon as the 
will elicits acts, which are in keeping- with 
the subject of the meditation, the object of 
the exercise of the former two faculties is 
already attained and to continue their 



102 

exercise would only prove injurious, because 
it would deprive us of some of the fruits 
of meditation, which proceed from the will 
alone. 

§ 4. Exercise of the Understanding. 

In order that the will may be drawn to 
or away from something", in other words, 
that it may act, it requires the guidance of 
the understanding-, and this g-uidance is so 
necessary, that without it the will remains 
torpid and entirely inert. But the under- 
standing- will not succeed in moving- the 
will to forceful and resolute acts, unless 
it is itself convinced by suitable arg-uments. 
Now, the exercise of the intellect in re- 
ference to. meditation consists in consider- 
ing- the subject, by carefully examining- it, 
by proving* it with suitable arg-uments, by 
applying- it by reflection to the present 
condition of the soul, and by deducting- from 
it practical conclusions. Like an orator it 
speaks from the pulpit of the conscience 
clearly, forcibly and pleasingly to the souL 
In order that this exercise of the intellect 
may not be too difficult to beginners, who 
often complain of it, it should be chang-ed 
to suit the nature of the subject. 

If the subject of the meditation is some 
historic fact, e. g*. some mystery of Christ's 
passion, it will suffice to dwell upon all or 
at least some of its circumstances, being- 



103 

careful however always to direct the con- 
sideration of these circumstances towards 
the fruit, which we had proposed to our- 
selves when we made our preparation. If 
the meditation treats of some virtue to be 
developed in the soul, we should consider 
its intrinsic excellence, its usefulness and 
necessity, by advancing* arguments taken 
from the Scriptures, the writings of the 
Holy Fathers, the canons of the Church 
and ascetical books, alluring the will to 
give its assent by placing before it the 
example of Christ and the Saints, calling, 
attention to the increase of merit, the edi- 
fication of others, the augmentation of the 
glory of God, of the Church and our Order, 
the preservation of religious discipline, and 
to other spiritual advantages, as also to 
the private and public good, all of which 
spring directly or indirectly from the prac- 
tice of this virtue. If the subject is some 
vice, which we wish to extirpate, we should, 
by arguments drawn from the self-same 
sources, represent to the will the nature, 
divisions, degrees, malice, ugliness, folly 
and perniciousness of this vice, urge the 
will again and again by examples taken 
from the Scriptures, by placing before it 
the four last things, that it may resolve 
to do for the soul what it would counsel 
others to do for the body. Finally, if the 
subject is some text of 'Holy Scripture, or 
some sentence bearing upon doctrine or 



104 

morals, we should consider the authority 
of the speaker and the meaning- of the 
sentence, show how fitting-, true, useful 
and necessary is the doctrine, which it 
conveys, and prove all this from obvious 
principles of faith or morals, of sound 
reason and prudence, from the common 
consent of all well-disposed and learned 
men and from our own or others' expe- 
rience. 

But in order that the intellect may not 
labor in vain in proposing- these motives 
to the will, it should exert itself 

1. with moderation, without any intense 
strain of the mind, as thoug-h it had to ex- 
haust the entire subject, weig-h and scru- 
tinize every arg-ument; this would not only 
be a useless torture of the mind and waste 
of forces, but it would also be positively 
injurious by incapacitating- us for medita- 
tion and engendering- disg-ust. It is amply 
sufficient to devote as much care to the 
exercise of the understanding during me- 
ditation as a prudent man is wont to be- 
stow upon study or other important matters; 

2. with calmness and composure, without 
any inordinate desire to investigate the 
details of arguments, without any anxiety 
lest we occupy ourselves too long with one 
point before going over to the next. As 
has been said above, the end or object of 
meditation is to move the will; if this is 



105 



obtained by a mere presentation of the 
subject, or by the first argument, all is 
.well, and the exercise of the understanding- 
must be discontinued at once, and not be 
resumed till the movement of the will has 
ceased; 

3. with simplicity, seeking- nothing- more 
than to establish the truth and to move 
the will, without soaring* aloft in quest of 
sublime ideas, without making* fine and 
subtle distinctions, without studying* beauty 
of diction or artful connection of argu- 
ments; 

4. without haste, not jumping* about from 
one arg-ument to another, without allowing* 
any of them time to fix itself upon the 
intellect or move the will; 

5. with brevity and conciseness, without 
prying* into every little circumstance or 
detail of proofs; otherwise much time that 
should have been given to the affections 
and the will, would be devoted to consi- 
deration and the meditation will become a 
study, with the loss of many graces, and 
it will be a sacrifice of time to vain curi- 
osity. 

It may happen that a person feels unfit 
or indisposed to think or consider; the 
subject matter may be very dry to him, or 
he may be too torpid to exert himself. 
Then he should use force to dispose him- 
self and to superinduce some activity of the 



106 

intellect. Very frequently a little effort sets 
the mind to work. If even then he does 
not succeed he should read and re-read the 
matter carefully, interrupting the reading 
at times in order to make appropriate aspi- 
rations and to renew his particular resolu- 
tion, and thus he should spend all the time 
set apart by obedience for this exercise. 
He should also bear his indisposition with 
humility and resignation and midst acts of 
fervent love to God prepare his soul for a 
continuation of this affliction of the spirit. 

When this is done the merit and fruit 
of meditation are never lost; on the con- 
trar}^, they are increased on account of the 
great self-denial practiced under such cir- 
cumstances, and God will reward it in due 
time, b}^ recalling to the memory the sub- 
ject of such a meditation and enabling 
the soul by a more abundant measure of 
graces to put into execution the resolution 
generously made under such difficulties. 
Such acts, although they may seem to be. 
wrung from the brain rather than elicited 
by the heart, must not be omitted; for the 
very fact of continuing the meditation 
under such circumstances, proves that they 
are sincere and genuine. 

But when the indisposition is the result 
of one's own negligence or dissipation, 
then he should revoke and remove the 
cause, as far as in him lies, by an act of 
sorrow, consider his spiritual dryness and 



107 

mental desolation as just punishments for 
his neg-lig-ence, bear them patiently, man- 
♦ fully and with constancy and humble him- 
self under the smiting- hand of God. 

§ 5. Exercise of the Will. 

The exercise of the will comprises two 
thing's, the affections and the resolution. 
By affection we here understand any move- 
ment of the will. The will is said to be 
moved when it begins to love what it for- 
merly did not love or even hated, or be- 
gins to hate what before it did not hate 
or even loved. Hence affections are divided 
into two classes, one of which contains all 
those by which we seek and pursue the 
g*ood, the other comprises those by which 
we hate and flee from evil. 

From the exercise of the will the fruit 
of meditation depends. In order, therefore, 
that the fountains of affections may not 
run dry at the very beginning* of medita- 
tion, leaving* the will barren and desolate, 
it is very important that the exercise of 
the intellect be followed up immediately 
by a reflexive operation of the mind, by 
means of which the truth or subject of 
meditation is at once practically applied 
to the present condition of the soul. This 
is done by means of those well known 
questions: has my past life been in keep- 
ing- with this truth? what is the present 



108 

state of my soul in reference to this truth? 
how much would it have profited me to 
have lived so? what have I lost by doing- 
otherwise? what will I gain or lose in fu- 
ture by leading- a life in conformity or at 
variance to the truth, which I have just 
now considered? By such reflections, which 
show how advantag-eous and necessary it 
is to us individually that we should con- 
form our lives to the truth, which now so 
vividly confronts us, the will becomes dis- 
posed and will readily elicit acts of humi- 
lity, it will be filled with shame, confusion 
and sorrow, ask pardon, purpose amend- 
ment etc. 

To facilitate the exercise of the will, it 
will prove of great advantag-e to note the 
anatytical order, in which the acts usually 
succeed each other in meditations; it is as 
follows: 

1. A certain abasement of the mind, 
confusion and sorrow joined to a petition 
for pardon; 

2. a most determined and resolute pur- 
pose of amendment, which, however, is 
only general; 

3. diffidence in one's own strength found- 
ed upon the experience of one's own weak- 
ness and fickleness; 

4. hope and confidence in God's assist- 
ance; 

5. prayer or petition for this assistance; 



109 

6. a fortifying* and strengthening- of the 
soul to withstand and overcome all diffi- 
culties, which it may encounter in the 
actual execution of the resolution; 

7. a most fervent and tender love of 
God, under the impulse of which the par- 
ticular resolution is here made. This act 
of love should be as intense as possible, 
because a resolution, which is dictated by 
love, is more apt to be kept faithfully and 
g-enerously; for love makes all things easy. 

To increase the intensity of this act of 
love it will be expedient to divide it into 
parts, to analyze it as it were, and elicit 
every part of it by a special act of the 
will. This is done 

1. by explicitly preferring God and His 
good pleasure to every personal interest 
and by resolving to meet and overcome 
every difficulty which might divert us from 
keeping the resolution; 

2. by rejoicing at the extrinsic glory, 
which accrues to God from our fidelity in 
keeping the resolution; 

3. by desiring that this extrinsic glory 
of God might exceed all measure; 

4. by regretting that we have so long 
and so often deprived Him of this glory; 

5. by plighting to Him our hearts and 
offering Him our resolution as a pledge of 
our love; 

6. by inviting the Angels and Saints to 



110 

love Him and by offering- to Him their love 
in compensation for the coldness of our 
own hearts; 

7. by declaring- our readiness to lose 
even'thing*, to suffer every possible afflic- 
tion, to do anything- He may require from 
us, and by this subjection of our will to the 
will of God, attesting- our undying- love for 
Him. 

To assist the memory all these acts are 
summed up in the following* w T ords: Self- 
abasement, sorrow, grief resolve (g-eneral), 
determination, fear, hope, petition, love. 

These acts will take up the time set 
apart for the meditation, so, however, that 
this time will prove amply sufficient for 
all of them; for they do not require many 
words, but consist in deep, interior affections 
of the heart and holy aspirations. Care 
must be taken that these acts be in keep- 
ing* with the resolution, which we have 
formed, and in eliciting* them we must not 
strive after sensible devotion by a strained 
application of the mind and heart, for by 
going- in quest of sensible devotion we are 
apt to seek self-gratification rather than 
God. Nor must we be apprehensive lest 
we tarry too long* with one or the other 
of these acts or elicit all of them before 
the time has elapsed; in the former case 
no injury is done to the meditation, in the 
latter case the acts may be repeated until 
the time shall have expired. 



Ill 



Now, in order that these affections or 
acts, however intense they may be. may 
.not terminate in transient and barren 
movements of the will, they should at once 
be directed and applied to a practical and 
permanent conversion of the morals by 
means of the particular resolution, which 
is nothing- else than a determination on the 
part of the will to do or omit something*. 
This resolution, that it may be lasting and 
productive of good results, must be earnest 
and efficacious. The resolution is said to 
be earnest when it is formed with sincere 
seriousness, so that it may not consist in 
a feeble or only apparent consent of the 
will. To make the consent of the w r ill re- 
solute and intense it will be found very 
expedient 

1. to form the resolution in the presence 
of God and before all His Angels; 

2. to call upon all the Saints, particu- 
larly those whose feast is being celebrated, 
as witnesses to our resolution; 

3. to seal it, as it were, with the Pre- 
cious Blood of Christ and to bury it in 
His sacred side, to be taken from thence 
on the da}' of judgment in testimony of 
our breach of promise should we fail to 
keep the resolution; 

4. to designate some particular penance, 
which we will voluntarily impose upon 
ourselves should we break the resolution. 



112 

The resolution is said to be efficacious, 
if it is actually kept, or when it is endowed 
with such qualities that there can be no 
reasonable fears as to its execution. These 
qualities are: 

1. The resolution should be one, definite 
and special, not multiform, vague or ge- 
neral; one or at most two things are to 
be resolved upon in particular, the place, 
time and manner of carrying- out the re- 
solution are to be fixed upon, when neces- 
sary also the means are to be selected; 

2. it should be practicable, so that it 
may be carried out on the same da}'. It 
sometimes happens that, contrary to all ex- 
pectations, no opportunity will present it- 
self for doing the external act resolved 
upon during the meditation; hence we 
should form a resolution to elicit one or 
more internal acts at certain times of the 
day. For such acts time and occasion will 
never be wanting and by the continued 
practice of eliciting them a certain habi- 
tual promptitude of mind is acquired, by 
which virtues are more quickly developed 
and more firmly established in the soul; 

3. it should be adapted to our present 
circumstances and spiritual necessities; it 
should have reference to that fault, sin or 
vice, into which we fall more frequently, 
or towards which we feel a greater pro- 
clivity, or which is a more stubborn ob- 
stacle to our spiritual advancement, or the 



113 

source of many other sins and imperfections, 
or exposes us to greater danger of commit- 
ting mortal sin; or it may have reference 
to some special virtue or act of virtue, the 
exercise of which is particularly distateful 
to corrupt nature, or is more conducive to 
spiritual progress, to the edification of 
others or to the preservation or restoration 
of monastic discipline, or to which God 
has invited us by more frequent movement* 
of His grace, or contains more humiliation, 
abnegation or self-denial. 

In order that w^e may not forget our 
resolution midst the unavoidable distrac- 
tions resulting from our labors and occu- 
pations, we should frequently remind our- 
selves of it during the day by means of 
an aphorism or short sentence containing 
the truth, upon which we have meditated, 
or the resolution which we have formed. 
This aphorism may be written on a slip 
of paper and fastened to some convenient 
place, e. g. to the desk or table in the 
cell, so that the sight of it may not only 
prevent us from forgetting the resolution, 
but also keep alive the flame of devotion 
enkindled during the meditation, as it will 
most certainly do if it be couched in the 
form of some pious aspiration and fre- 
quentty directed to God in a spirit of 
compunction and love. We should also 
renew the resolution during Mass, par- 
ticularly at the offertory and communion, 

8 



114 

in our visits to the Blessed Sacrament, at 
the Angelas, etc., and humbly ask God to 
give us the grace of keeping it faithfully. 
If we do this we may rest assured that 
no day will pass without an increase of 
spiritual perfection, supernatural merits 
and future glory; for it is a well established 
truth worthy of great attention that the 
firmness of our perseverance in good etc. 
depends upon an humble diffidence in our- 
selves, an unshaken confidence in God and 
persevering prayer: Unless the Lord build 
the house, they labor in vain that build it. 
(Ps. 126. 1.) 

§ 6. Supplementary Parts of Meditation. 

There are five supplementary parts of 
meditation, three of which form, as it 
were, the epilogue of the meditation; these 
are: 

1. A colloqu}' consisting in this that we 
present the resolutions, which we made 
in meditation to the Saints, whose feast 
we celebrate, to our holy patrons, to the 
Blessed Virgin or to Christ our Lord to 
be ratified by them. Such a colloquy is 
very well adapted to excite holy affections 
of the heart, especially if we vividly re- 
present these Saints to ourselves as speak- 
ing to us and if we ourselves impersonate 
different characters according to the diver- 
sity of the subject considered or the im- 
pulses of grace.- 



115 

2. An act of thanksgiving* for all the 
illuminating* and moving graces which we 
♦have received, as also for the resolutions 
which we have made. In acknowledgment 
of all these favors and as a token of our 
appreciation of them, we should offer our- 
selves without reserve to the service of 
God for time and eternity in union with 
the offering* which Christ, the Blessed 
Virgin and the other Saints made of 
themselves to God. 

3. Humble prayer; the meditation should 
be concluded by a fervent supplication for 
the graces necessary that we may derive 
abundant fruit from it, and the supplica- 
tion as well as the offering*, which pre- 
cedes it, should be made with greatest 
possible humility. 

The two remaining supplementary parts 
demand our attention after the medi- 
tation has been formally concluded. They 
are: 

1. An examination as to whether we 
have meditated fervently, by a diligent ap- 
plication of the powers and faculties of 
the soul; whether we observed external 
reverence by a becoming posture of the body; 
whether we did not curtail the time pre- 
scribed by obedience for meditation; whether 
we observed the rules and directions laid 
down for meditation; whether we have 
made the required preparation; whether 



116 

we have derived profit from the meditation 
by eliciting- acts and affections of the will 
and by forming- g*ood resolutions. This 
examination should be followed immedi- 
ately by an act of sorrow, should we find 
that the meditation was defective throug-h 
our own fault, or by an act of thanks- 
giving*, if the meditation has succeeded 
well, if we have' obtained a clearer and 
more complete knowledg-e of some truth, 
if we have experienced more fervent affec- 
tions of the heart, if we have formed strong- 
and efficacious resolutions and consequently 
have not been visited with dryness or deso- 
lation of spirit. 

2. A memorandum or annotation of the 
lights received during- meditation. By lig-hts 
we here mean certain salient thoug-hts, which 
penetrate more deeply into the soul, which 
place the interior condition of the soul 
more clearly before our eyes, which point 
out the sources and occasions of sins, which 
call attention to the special means of de- 
veloping virtues, of rooting out bad habits, 
of g-aining- victories over cupidity and self- 
love or of fulfilling* the will of God punctu- 
ally and g-enerously. These lig-hts may be 
put down in alphabetical order so that 
they may be easily found when we wish 
to use them as subjects of particular ex- 
amens, or to renew our fervor, or to give 
advice to others. 



117 

§ 7. Impediments to a good Meditation 
and their Remedies. 

The success of the meditation depends 
primarily upon the grace of God, not upon 
human endeavor. Hence whatever impedes 
the operation of the Holy Ghost in the 
soul is also an obstacle to a g-ood medi- 
tation. 

The principal impediments are: 

1. Sins and sinful habits, especially of 
gluttony and intemperance, for these exer- 
cise a most blunting- and blinding- influence 
on the understanding-, weaken and deprave 
the will and make man so animal that he 
fails to perceive the thing's that are of 
the spirit of God. (I Cor. 2, 14.) This im- 
pediment must be removed by frequent 
acts of detestation of sin and by a constant 
practice of mortifications, for wisdo?n will 
not enter into a ?nalicious soul, nor dwell 
in a body subject to sin. (Wis. 1, 4.) 

2. Inordinate and uncurbed passions, 
which destroy the peace and tranquility of 
the mind. These passions must be w r eeded 
out or at least placed under proper control 
by the practice of mortification and self- 
denial, for the Holy Spirit of discipline will 

fee fro?n the deceitful and will withdraw 
Hi7nself from thoughts that are without un- 
derstanding. (Wis. 1, 5.) 

3. Ig-norance of the -method of medita- 
tion, of the mysteries of faith, of other 



118 

revealed truths and the principles of asce- 
ticism. This ignorance is to be removed 
by frequent reading-, spiritual conferences, 
and by the exact observance of all that 
has been said on the method of meditation. 

4. Habitual sluggishness of the will aris- 
ing- from a distaste or disregard for spiri- 
tual thing's, or from an inveterate custom 
of devoting- oneself to spiritual matters 
without energy and alacrity. This inac- 
tivity of the will must be counteracted by 
a hig-h estimation of spiritual things, espe- 
cially of mental praj^er, by frequent ejacu- 
latory prayers and aspirations taken from 
the Psalms or other pious sources, and by 
a most praiseworthy habit of performing- 
all duties with all possible intensity of 
attention and fervor of mind and spirit. 

5. Flig-htiness and restlessness of the 
imagination. This should be remedied by 
renouncing and forgetting the world, by 
refraining from worldly conversations, by 
avoiding the company of wordly minded 
persons, by striving after recollection, or 
by allowing and engaging the fancy at the 
beginning of the meditation to picture the 
scene, upon which we are about to medi- 
tate, if the nature of the subject admits 
the exercise of the fancy. 

6. Curiosity of the senses, particularly 
of the eyes, through which impressions or 
images, which are the seeds of distractions, 
are produced or recalled. This impediment 



119 

is removed by a strict surveillance over 
the senses and by the constant practice of 
compunction. 

7. Love of ease and comfort, which 
shrinks from everything- that requires a 
manly effort, fears difficulties and has a 
distate for everything - that mig"ht disturb 
its effeminate repose. This obstacle must 
be displaced by a persevering- practice of 
mortification and self-denial especially in 
ordinary and trivial matters. 

8. Intemperence in eating- and drinking*, 
particularly before retiring- in the evening-, 
when we should have a special reg*ard for 
the opposite virtue; for a frug-al supper is 
followed by a refreshing- sleep and a re- 
freshing- sleep produces a clear mind. 

9. Drowsiness or sleepiness arising- either 
from indiscreet privation of sleep, or from 
a natural tendency to somnolence or from 
the envy of the devil. This obstacle we 
should endeavor to overcome by avoiding- 
its causes, by applying- the natural means 
of dispelling- sleep, and if w T e can do no 
more than keep awake, even this is a vic- 
tory and our prayer will be acceptable to 
God as long- as we strive manfully to pray 
well. 



120 

ARTICLE IV. 

EjACULATORY PRAYERS. 

Ejaculatory prayers are short aspirations 
directed to God either by the mind alone, 
or by the mind and lips together. The 
Fathers, in fact all the Saints, have shown 
by word and example that they considered 
the habitual use of ejaculatory prayers as 
the shortest way to true devotion and an 
intimate union with God. And, indeed, 
their usefulness is very great, for 

1. they are the safest remedy against all 
temptations, because by means of them we 
are quickly reminded of the presence of 
God, and midst the actual remembrance of 
the presence of God even the most depraved 
will scarcely venture to commit sin; 

2. they are a most timely assistance in 
all the vicissitudes of life or, at least, a 
prolific source of consolation in adversity 
and affliction as we learn from the psal- 
mist when he says: My soul refused to be 
comforted; I remembered God and was de- 
lighted; (Ps. 76. 3.) 

3. they are an actual practice of most 
devout prayer, because their brevity pre- 
cludes all distractions and tepidity; 

4. they are a practical observance of the 
injunction given by Christ: We ought al- 
ways to pray, and not to fai7it, (Luke 18, 1.) 
because in the midst of the most distract- 



121 

ing- occupations, even during* recreation, 
there is time and opportunity for them; 

5. they are, if habitually and fervently 
'made, a continual practice of recollection. 

St. Francis de Sales says that aspirations 
to God and spiritual recollection mutually 
produce each other; 

6. they are a universal means of doing* 
all thing's perfectly. St. Francis ag-ain 
says that without aspirations or ejaculatory 
prayers it is impossible to lead a contem- 
plative life, because the quiescence which 
is characteristic of the contemplative life 
would very soon deg-enerate into idolence; 
lie also says that the labors and occupa- 
tions of the active life will be an impedi- 
ment to perfection and a source of confu- 
sion to the soul if they be not seasoned 
with holy sig*hs and aspirations; 

7. they are an uninterrupted union, fa- 
miliarity and amorous intercourse with God. 
The memory reminds us of God; the intel- 
lect believes in God, and the will loves God, 
and thus all the time of a man accustomed 
to ejaculatory prayers is taken up in loving- 
God, in imitating- the Blessed in heaven, 
in tasting- their joys, and partaking* in 
their happiness. 

Hence it would be very desirable that 
these ejaculatory prayers should be made 
continually, without intermission, as they 
are the indication, the practice and nutri- 
ment of love to God; but because this is 



122 

almost impossible, even in the most perfect, 
on account of the unavoidable distractions 
arising- from our occupations, we should at 
least endeavor to direct such aspirations 
to God as frequently as possible, so that 
they ma}^ be morally continuous. This 
will be accomplished if we make use of 
such prayers 

1. when we awake in the morning-; 

2. before beginning- any work or task, 
especially one that will consume consider- 
able time or that is of much importance; 

3. at intervals during- our work or occu- 
pations, especially if these are of a secular 
nature, and particularly when me meet 
with some difficulty, when we become too 
impulsive and too much intent upon w^hat 
we are doing*; 

4. after the completion of every work or 
task; 

5. when the clock strikes; 

6. when we are assailed by temptations 
of any kind; 

7. when we are afflicted, melancholy, de- 
jected or restless; 

8. at intervals during* spiritual reading-; 

9. during- conversation, in time of re- 
creation and mental relaxation; 

10. during- meals. 

The source, from which these holy aspi- 
rations must flow, is the heart inflamed 
with love to God. Althoug-h it may be ad- 
visable to commit some forms or formulas 



123 

of ejaculatory prayers to memory, yet, 
should we restrict ourselves to them alone, 
we would expose ourselves to the danger of 
merely repeating- them with the lips, or 
of omitting- them frequently, or of wasting- 
much valuable time in trying* to remember 
them. Let us learn to draw some whole- 
some thoug-ht from everything- that we hear 
or see, let us read the Scriptures, particu- 
larly the Psalms, and other spiritual books 
frequently and attentively and then we will 
almost naturally acquire the habit of di- 
recting- holy sig-hs and aspirations to God. 
But we must not forg*et that to acquire 
this habit and to practice it successfully, 
we must possess freedom of heart, and this 
is obtained by purifying- the imagination 
from worldly impressions and representa- 
tions, by keeping* the heart diseng-ag-ed 
from inordinate cares and by subduing- 
the inordinate desires and turbulent passi- 
ons of our sensual nature. 



:o:- 



CHAPTER V. 

Spiritual Reading. 

Spiritual reading- prepares the way to 
easy and profitable meditation, by supply- 
ing- abundant matter and powerful aids. 
Hence the treatise on mental prayer is 



124 

closely connected with that on spiritual 
reading-, which forms the subject of this 
chapter. 

§ 1. Necessity of Spiritual Reading. 

In virtue of our vocation we are bound 
to lead a life, which is partly active and 
partly contemplative. From this we at once 
infer that spiritual reading- is most neces- 
sary to every Relig-ious, who seriously de- 
sires to comply with the duties of his state 
of life and thus obtain the object he had 
in view when he made his relig-ious pro- 
fession. The very essence of the con- 
templative life consists in the continued 
endeavor of attaining- a greater purity of 
soul, of reaching- a more perfect detachment 
of the heart from the world, and of obtain- 
ing- a more intimate and closer union with 
God after we have detested our past sins, 
extirpated vices, subdued inordinate pas- 
sions, developed and cherished virtues by 
the zealous practice of them. To accom- 
plish all this it is not sufficient to know 
in a g-eneral way what we are commanded 
to do or avoid, but we must also learn 
what we are counseled to do, what it is 
advisable and expedient to do. We must 
know the secret principles of the spiritual 
life, the means, which are most conducive 
to holiness of life, the most effective mo- 
tives for applying- such means faithfully 



125 

and manfully, in a word, the soul must 
have a comprehensive knowledge of spiri- 
tual things, and this knowledge can be 
gained only by the reading of books of 
piet} r and spiritual edification. Beginners 
in the religious life are sometimes not only 
profoundly ignorant of spiritual things, but 
also very often imbued with most perni- 
cious principles and lax notions imbibed 
in the school of the devil, the world and 
the flesh. These must be eradicated and 
supplanted by more exalted principles, 
otherwise they will expose such beginners 
to the proximate danger of losing not only 
their vocation but even their eternal sal- 
vation. Finally, St. Theresa says that the 
great difficulty, which beginners usually 
experience in meditating is more speedily 
and effectually overcome by spiritual read- 
ing than by anything else, because by 
means of this exercise a clearer and more 
exhaustive knowledge of truth is acquired, 
the mind is convinced by more forcible 
arguments, and the will is actuated by 
stronger and nobler motives. 

That spiritual reading is necessary in 
the active life scarcely calls for any proof. 
In the active life we are apt to come in 
contact with men and women of all classes, 
of every age, of every condition. We must 
give instruction, counsel and direction in 
most various, intricate and dangerous cases; 
we must excite a salutary fear in the sinner, 



126 

we must encourage the penitent, we must 
lend assistance to those who are advancing 
on the path of perfection, we must confirm 
those, who have reached a high degree of 
sanctity, in one word, we must become all 
to all that others may be saved. But there 
is no other treasure than that of spiritual 
reading, from which we as householders 
may continually bring forth new things 
and old. (Matt. 13, 52.) 

Hence St. Paul admonishes his disciple 
St. Timothy, whom he had consecrated 
bishop: Attend unto reading, to exhortation 
and to doctrine .... Take heed to thyself, 
and to doctrine, be earnest in them; for in 
doing this thou shalt both save thyself and 
them that hear thee, (I. Tim. 4, 13. 16.) 
On the contrary, those pastors of souls, 
who despise or neglect this source of spiri- 
tual erudition, belong to those of whom 
St. Jude speaks when he says: These are 
spots in their banquets, feasting together 
without fear, feeding themselves, clouds 
without water, which are can'ied about by 
winds, trees of the autumn, unfruitful, 
twice dead, -plucked up by the roots. Rag- 
ing waves of the sea, foaming out their 
own confusion, wandei'ing stars: to whom 
the storm of darkness is reserved forever. 
(Jude 12. 13.) 



127 

§ 2. Manner of making Spiritual Eeading 
with profit. 

In order that spiritual reading- may pro- 
duce all these fruits, some things must 
precede, others accompany, and others fol- 
low the reading itself. Before reading 
there are required: 

1. A good and pure intention of reading 
the book in that spirit and for that purpose, 
in which and for which it was written, 
namely to increase our knowledge and love 
of God and thereby to promote our own 
and others 1 salvation. For what things 
soever were written^ were written for our 
learning, that through patience and the com- 
fort of the Scriptures we might have hope. 
(Rom. 15, 4.) All Scripture inspired of 
God is profit able to teach, to reprove, to 
correct, to instruct in justice, that the man 
of God may be perfect, furnished to everv 
good work. (II. Tim. 3, 16. 17.) We 
must therefore not read from morbid curi- 
osity, or with a desire of pampering to 
vain-glory by the acquisition of an erudi- 
tion of which we may afterwards boast. 

2. A spiritual hunger and eagerness to 
acquire the science of the Saints; for only 
those who hunger and thirst after justice 
shall be filled, and the word of God, which 
is the food of the soul, nourishes the soul 
in proportion to the eagerness with which 
it is sought. Hence we must not read as 



128 

though we were performing a wearisome 
and irksome task, nor because we are com- 
pelled to do so or for mere pastime. 

3. An humble consciousness and sincere 
acknowledgment of our ignorance in divine 
and spiritual matters, so that a simple love 
of truth will induce us to read books not 
on account of any beauty or elegance of 
style, but rather on account of the know- 
ledge of truth which we may derive from 
them. This food of the soul is found 
very frequently in greater abundance in 
works that lay no claim to sublimity and 
gracefulness of diction; for it is well known 
that God hides the secret and adorable 
counsels and plans of wisdQtn from those, 
who are wise and prudent according to the 
world and reveals them to the little ones, 
that is, to those who have a lowly opinion 
of themselves. To these He gives His 
grace, but He resists the proud, those, 
namely, who are puffed up by their worldly 
learning and erudition, and always find 
fault with the style of the language, with 
the method of treating the subject or with 
the subject itself, and pride themselves in 
the use of high-sounding and bombastic 
words to give expression to the lowly 
thoughts of worldly science. They belong 
to those who see and do not perceive, hear 
and do not understand. 

4. A fervent and confiding supplication 
for the assistance of divine grace, that the 



129 

Lord, Who is the God of all knowledge, 
(I. King's 2, 3.) from Whom as from a Father 
of lights even- best gift and every perfect 
gift cometh (James 1, 17.) may open our 
understanding, that we may understand the 
Scriptures (Luke 24, 25.) and that we may 
all be taught of God. (John 6, 45.) 

During spiritual reading the following 
points should be observed: We should read 

1. attentively and slowly, particularly 
when we meet with something that is of 
special utility to us. Then we should tarry 
for a little while to give the mind suffi- 
cient time to digest its food properly; for 
just as food, which is taken into the sto- 
mach too greedily and without moderation 
as to quantity becomes a source of uneasi- 
ness to the stomach, so hasty reading over- 
whelms the memory and confuses the un- 
derstanding and little if any fruit results 
from it; 

2. with reflection, by applying the truths 
and teachings practically to ourselves to 
eradicate vice or increase the exercise of 
virtue; 

3. devoutly, by seasoning the spiritual 
reading with sighs and aspirations in keep- 
ing with the matter, which we are reading; 

4. studiously, by always making the re- 
solve of putting into practice the know- 
ledge acquired from reading; 

5. orderly, by using judgment in the 
choice of books and reading them from 

9 



130 

beginning- to end. To read indiscriminately 
everything- that we may chance to hit upon 
will not be profitable but positively inju- 
rious, it will not cherish piety but gratify 
curiosity. 

Three thing-s are required after spiritual 
reading-: 

1. We should make a brief synopsis of 
the matter, which we have read, so that 
it may be impressed more deeply upon the 
memory and more readily called to mind 
when an opportunity presents itself of 
practicing* what we have learned in our 
reading*; 

2. we should note down in alphabetical 
order the more salient passages of what 
we have read, that they may more effectu- 
ally increase our fund of knowledg-e; 

3. we should give thanks to God for all 
holy thoug-hts and pious affections, with 
which He has favored us during- spiritual 
reading-; we should humbly beseech Him 
to g-ive us the grace to keep our g-ood re- 
solutions, so that we may derive abundant 
fruit from this spiritual exercise. 

§ 3. Suitable Books for Spiritual Reading. 

The first g-eneral rule is that we should 
read only edifying books, such, namely, 
as are in keeping- with the idea of spiri- 
tual reading-, by furnishing- the understand- 
ing- with solid principles and supplying- the 



131 

will with forceful motives, the result of 
which will be a thorougii conversion of 
morals. For only that reading- deserves to 
be called spiritual reading*, by which we 
.put off, according* to our former conversa- 
tion, the old man, who is corrupted accord- 
ing* to the desire of error, by which we are 
renewed in the spirit of. our mind, and put 
on the new man, who, according* to God, 
is created in justice, and holiness of truth. 
(Eph. 4, 22. 23.) Hence, according* to the 
spirit of our Holy Rule (chap 6. and 67.) 
not only scurrilous and idle words and such 
as provoke inordinate laug*hter, but also 
all frivolous, worldly and traslry books, 
and particularly such as are a source of 
dang*er to faith or morality, should never 
find their way into religious communities. 
The reading* of such pestiferous pro- 
ductions of ignoble and putrid minds would 
necessarily be subversive of all religious 
spirit and discipline. In fact, not even 
books that are in themselves g*ood and that 
treat on subjects bearing* upon morality, 
should be read promiscuously when they 
are written in a very flowery style or by 
heterodox authors, because they will either 
make the heart effeminate and render it 
unfit to treat serious matters seriously, or 
they will embarrass and pervert those, who 
are less on their g*uard or not so well pos- 
ted on dogmatic Theology, b}^ the dang*er- 
ous principles of a false Christianity, which 



132 

naturally creep into the literary productions 
of non-Catholic writers. 

The second general rule is that we should 
read those books, which our superior or 
spiritual director may adyise or direct us 
to read. Our superiors are the legiti- 
mate and authorized interpreters of the 
divine will in our -regard, and by submit- 
ting* ourselves to their judgment we gain 
the merit of humble obedience and self- 
denial, which God will reward by impart- 
ing to us a more abundant measure of 
graces, in virtue of which we will be en- 
abled to derive greater spiritual advantages 
from our reading. However, should the 
reader find it utterly impossible, in spite 
of earnest and conscientious endeavors, to 
derive any spiritual profit from the book 
given to him by his superior, he may can- 
didh^ advise him of the fact and humbly 
ask for another book, so, however that he 
be prepared to follow the directions of the 
superior whatsoever they may be. The 
reason why we should permit the spiritual 
director to select the books for us is very 
clear, for in the choice of the reading 
matter the condition of the soul and ca- 
pacity of the reader must be taken into 
consideration, and of these no one is sup- 
posed to be a better judge than the spiri- 
tual director. If we rely upon our own 
judgment in selecting our spiritual reading 



133 

books, self-love will blind us and iniquity 
Will lie to itself. 

Having seen the general rules we will 
now proceed to call attention to the de- 
tails by classifying the books, which we 
should use in spiritual reading. 

The place of honor undoubtedly belongs 
to the Sacred Scriptures on account of their 
dignity as well as in consideration of their 
utility. Their intrinsic dignity is evident 
from the fact that they have God for their 
author: For prophecy came not by the will 
of man at any time, but the holy men of 
God spoke, inspired by the Holy Ghost. 
(II. Pet. 1, 21.) S. Paul extols the utility 
of the Scriptures when he says: For the 
ward of God is living and effectual and 
more piercing than any tn'o-edged sii'ord. 
and reaching unto the division of the soul 
and the spirit, of the joints also and the 
marrow. t Heb. 4, 12. ) The Scriptures are 
a divine production, which man can not 
even imitate. In them may be found a 
wonderful multiplicity of meaning, an in- 
exhaustible richness of unction joined with 
the greatest simplicity of diction and style. 
The Sciptures. as the Fathers express it, 
are a letter addressed by God to man. in 
which He has deigned to reveal Himself 
to His creatures and to instruct man in 
the truths of salvation. 

But that we may reap the desired fruit 
from the reading of the Scriptures, we 



134 

must not only observe all that has been 
said in the second paragraph of this chapter, 
but we must also bring- the understanding* 
into captivity (II. Cor. 10, 5.) in theoreti- 
cal truths, out of reverence towards the 
omniscience and truthfulness of God, and 
exhibit a prompt docility of the will in 
reg-ard to the practical truths and a holy 
eag-erness to put them into practice, on ac- 
count of the supreme authority of Him, 
Who commands. Reason must not be too 
bold or inquisitive, but must pay humble 
deference to the authority of God and His 
Church, especially in thing's that are hard 
to be understood, and which the unlearned 
and unstable wrest to their own destruction. 
(II. Pet. 3, 16.) 

But even the books of Sacred Script- 
ure are not all equally adapted for spi- 
ritual reading-, and we should give the 
preference to those which treat more 
directly of faith and morals and read 
them more frequently than the historic and 
prophetic books. We should therefore read 
the New Testament and select from the 
Old Testament the Book of Proverbs, Ec- 
clesiastes, the Canticle of Canticles, the 
Book of Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus and espe- 
cially the Psalter, which is at the same 
time prophetical, historical and theological, 
and proclaims the praises of God. 

Next to the Scriptures we should read 
the Holy Rule, the Statutes of our Con- 



135 

gregation and ascetical writing's. The Rule 
and Statutes contain the obligations, which 
we took upon ourselves in our religious 
profession, and through them and our su- 
periors we learn what is the will of God 
in our regard. The careful reading of as- 
cetical books will not only remind us of 
the first principles of the spiritual life, of 
the tender conscience and of the generous 
fidelity, which we learned, cherished and 
practiced during the Novitiate and during 
the first few years of our religious life, 
but will also keep alive our first fervor, 
or it will cause us to be filled with holy 
confusion and fear, reminding us of our 
past infidelity in the service of God and 
will thereby animate us with a firm resolve 
to return to our first fervor and to spend 
the remaining days of our life in an ear- 
nest endeavor to reach a high degree of 
spiritual perfection. 

Next we should read the works of the 
Fathers and of other approved writers on 
mystic theology and asceticism. On account 
of the great number of books, which treat 
of these subjects, we should never make 
the selection ourselves but invariably re- 
quest our superiors or spiritual director to 
make it for us. 

The substance of all that has been said 
on the choice of books for spiritual read- 
ing is found in the last chapter of the 
Holy Rule. It may not be out of place 



136 

here to submit a plan, according- to which 
the entire Scriptures may be easily and 
profitably read in the course of one year. 
This can be accomplished by reading- a few 
verses of the New Testament every morn- 
ing-, together with one chapter of the moral 
or prophetic books of the Old Testament, 
and one or two chapters of the historical 
books of the Old Testament every evening-. 

§ 4. Distribution of the books of the Old and 
New Testament for Spiritual Reading. 

January: Genesis, and the first twelve 
chapters of Exodus; Proverbs, and the first 
twenty chapters of Matthew. 

February : The last twenty eig-ht chap- 
ters of Exodus, and the entire of Leviticus; 
Ecclesiastes, Canticle of Canticles, the first 
eig-ht chapters of Wisdom, the last eig-ht 
chapters of Matthew and the first ten 
chapters of Mark. 

March: Numbers, and the first twenty 
six chapters of Deuteronomy; the last eleven 
chapters of Wisdom, the first twenty chap- 
ters of Ecclesiasticus, the last six chapters 
of Mark and the first fourteen chapters of 
Luke. 

April: The last eig-ht chapters of Deu- 
teronomy, Josue, Judg-es and Ruth; the 
last thirty one chapters of Ecclesiasticus, 
the last ten chapters of Luke and the first 
ten chapters of John. 



137 

May: The first two Books of Kings; 
the first thirty three chapters of Isaias, the 
last eleven chapters of John, and the first 
eight chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. 

June: The last two books of Kings; the 
'last thirty three chapters of Isaias, and the 
last twenty chapters of the Acts of the 
Apostles. 

July: The first book of Paralipomenon; 
the first thirty chapters of Jeremias, Epistle 
to the Romans, and the first eight chapters 
of the first Epistle to the Corinthians. 

August: The second Book of Paralipo- 
menon; the last twenty two chapters of 
Jeremias, the Lamentations, Baruch, the 
last eight chapters of the first Epistle to 
the Corinthians and the second Epistle to 
the Corinthians. 

September : Esdras, Nehemias and To- 
bias; the first thirty chapters of Ezechiel 
and the Epistles to the Galatians, Ephe- 
sians, Philippians, Colossians and Thessa- 
lonians. 

October: Judith, Esther and the first 
ten chapters of Job; the last eighteen 
chapters of Ezechiel and the Prophecy of 
•Daniel; the Epistles to Timothy, Titus 
Philemon and the Hebrews. 

November: The last thirty chapters of 
Job; the Prophecy of Osee, Joel, Amos, 
Abdias and Jonas; the Epistles of James, 
Peter, John and Jude. 



138 

December: The Books of the Macha- 
bees; the Prophecy of Micheas, Nahum, 
Habacuc, Sophonias, Ag-g-eus, Zacharias 
and Malachias and the Apocalypse. 

The Psalms were intentionally omitted 
in this distribution because they are in 
daily use. Should anyone desire to read 
only the moral books of Scripture, to the 
exclusion of the historical and prophetical 
books, he might substitute- the Psalms for 
the books assigned for the month of De- 
cember, and thus 'he would have sufficient 
reading- matter and ample time for reflec- 
tion. 



-:o:- 



CHAPTER VI. 

Daily Examination of Conscience. 

Watch ye therefore, for you know not the 
day nor the hour. (Matt. 25, 13.) These 
are the words with which our divine Lord 
exhorts us to continual watchfulness. He 
tells us that death is certain but that the 
hour of death is uncertain. This watch- 
fulness consists in this that we keep our- 
selves in readiness for that awful moment, 
in which we must be manifested before 
the judgment seat of Christ, that we may 
receive the proper thing-s of the body, ac- 



139 

cording" as we have done, whether it be 
good or evil. (II. Cor. 5, 10.) But the best 
preparation for judgment is that we judg-e 
ourselves, for the Apostle says: If we 
would judge ourselves, we should not be 
judged. (I. Cor. 11, 31.) We should there- 
fore pass judgment on all our actions, and 
that we may do this regularly, impartially 
and profitably we should daily examine 
our conscience thoroug-hly. 

There is no better method of keeping 
oneself prepared for death than this prac- 
tice of self-examination, and at the same 
time, it is a most practical and effective 
means of arriving- at a high degree of spi- 
ritual perfection. By means of this spiri- 
tual exercise we acquire a more perfect 
knowledge of ourselves, and in consequence 
of this we will conceive a holy hatred of 
ourselves, and we will form an humble and 
lowly opinion of ourselves; but these three, 
knowledge, hatred and contempt of our- 
selves, constitute the solid foundation of a 
spiritual life. Moreover, if we daily be- 
wail the defects and infidelities, which we 
discover by means of this exercise, our sins 
of weakness will not become sins of malice 
and vicious habits, and if bad habits have 
taken up their abode in our hearts, nothing 
will serve to extirpate and expel them more 
quickly or more radically than the daily 
examination of conscience, in which we 
realize how pernicious they are and con- 



140 

sequently resolve to combat them manfully 
by means of firm resolutions. 

Finally, in this spiritual exercise we elicit 
and practice many acts of virtue, which 
God rewards by imparting- to us a richer 
measure of graces and other blessing's, in 
virtue of which we will not only learn how 
to avoid evil and do gx>od, but we will also 
actually co-operate with these graces and 
by the daily exercise of Christian justice 
we will bring- forth fruits worthy of pen- 
ance, by making- satisfaction for our past 
transgressions, and arm ourselves ag-ainst 
future temptations. 

What has been said is amply sufficient 
to demonstrate the usefulness of this spiri- 
tual exercise. We will now show how the 
examination of conscience must be made in 
order that it may produce g*ood results. 

There are two examinations of conscience, 
with which Relig-ious are familiar, the 
g-eneral and the particular; hence this chap- 
ter is naturally divided into two articles 
the first of which treats of the g-eneral, 
the second of the particular examination. 



ARTICLE I. 

General Examination of Conscience. 

The g-eneral examination of conscience 
is a scrutiny of our lives or of all our ac- 



141 

tions and omissions from one day to the 
other. This scrutiny is made for the pur- 
pose of removing- all faults and imperfec- 
tions, which we may discover, together 
with their sources, by a fervent act of sor- 
row and by arming* ourselves against the'm 
for the future by a firm purpose of amend- 
ment. From this description of the general 
examination we can easily see how it dif- 
fers from the particular examination, as 
well as from that which is required for 
sacramental confession. The particular 
examination has reference to only one par- 
ticular vice or virtue, whilst in the g-eneral 
examination we take ourselves to task for 
all actions or omissions of thought, word 
or deed. The examination before confession 
extends to all sins committed since the last 
valid confession, whereas the g-eneral exa- 
mination is restricted to the actions and 
omissions of one day only. This g-eneral 
examination has a twofold scope or object. 
The first is to reconcile us more perfectly 
to God by sorrow for the sins, by which 
we have offended Him; the second is to re- 
move the causes and occasions of our daily 
sins and imperfections by a firm purpose 
of amendment; and such a sorrow and such 
a purpose constitute the basis of a thoroug-h 
and permanent conversion of morals. This 
twofold object will be obtained if we make 
the general examination in the following 
manner: 



142 

1. We should briefly call to mind the 
graces received from God during- the day 
and make an humble act of thanksgiving 
for them, in order that we may more fully 
realize our past ingratitude to God. 

2. We should implore the divine assist- 
ance that by the light of God's illuminat- 
ing grace we may discover all our defects 
and imperfections together with their sour- 
ces; that b) 7 His moving grace we may 
earnestly detest them, and that by His help- 
ing grace we may persistently and success- 
fully battle against them for the future. 

3. We should make the examination itself 
orderly by observing a certain order or 
method. This is best done by taking up 
the actions and omissions of the day singly 
in their chronological order and inquiring 
whether and to what extent we have failed 
therein against God, our neighbor or our- 
selves. We should make it concisely so that 
we may not only examine our conscience 
during the time set apart by obedience for 
this exercise, but also have ample time for 
the act of sorrow and the purpose of amend- 
ment, from which the fruit of the exami- 
nation principally depends. We should make 
it thoroughly, not tepidly, hastily or super- 
ficially, but everything must be carefully- 
examined and weighed, not in the fallacious 
scales of the world, the flesh or of self- 
love, but by the weight of the sanctuary, 
(Exod. 30, 24.) according to the principles 



143 

laid down in the Gospel, the precepts of 
the Holy Rule, the teaching's of enlightened 
asceticism and the examples of our holy 
predecessors, and we should weigh our 
actions with the same care, rigor and im- 
partiality, with which we w^ould weigh 
them at the hour of death. 

4. After the examination we should elicit 
an act of perfect contrition. This act 
should extend, in a general way at least, 
to all the sins of our past lives, particularly 
to all hidden sins, and be as intense as 
possible. 

5. Next we should ask pardon with a 
heart filled with holy shame and confusion 
and deep humility. 

6. We should make a fixed and definite 
purpose of amendment endowed with all 
those qualities, which have been enumer- 
ated and explained in the treatise on medi- 
tation. 

7. Finally, we should impose upon our- 
selves some special works of penance for 
our sins, e. g. a special visit to the Blessed 
Sacrament, spiritual reading, meditation 
or particular examination of conscience, 
abstinence or any other corporal mortifi- 
cation. In this way vices are more quickly 
and effectually extirpated, a practical ha- 
tred of sin is implanted and the will is 
strengthened against a relapse. Such a 
punishment we should inflict upon ourselves 



144 

not only for serious faults, for which we 
must sooner or later make satisfaction, but 
also for lesser imperfections and infidelities; 
for if we acquire the habit of being- faith- 
ful in little things we will be faithful 
also in greater thing's. 



ARTICLE II. 

Particular Examination of Conscience. 

§ 1. Nature and Utility of the Particular Ex- 
amination and Method of making it well. 

The particular examination is either a 
combat against one definite vice, upon 
which we wage war by means of a daily 
scrutiny and resolution, giving- no quarters 
and allowing no truce of peace until the 
monster has been perfectly subdued or put 
to flight; or it is an endeavor to develop 
some particular virtue by the same means, 
namely, examination of our actions in re- 
ference to that virtue, which forms the 
subject of particular examen and a daily 
resolve of practicing that virtue more per- 
fectly. The Holy Fathers as well as other 
masters of the spiritual life have always 
recommended this exercise as the most 
powerful and almost only adequate means 
of extirpating vices and of acquiring the 
practice of virtues; for as no one becomes 
very good or extremely wicked at once, 



145 

so also vices are not cut off by one stroke 
nor virtues perfectty developed by a single 
act; but rather, just as nature gradually 
reaches its complete development, so also 
grace, as a general rule at least, purifies 
and sanctifies the soul little by little. 
Hence, in making* the particular examen 
we must exercise the greatest care not to 
proceed in a g-eneral and rambling- way, 
but limit ourselves to one single and 
individual subject, by selecting- only certain 
acts and examining- them in detail with 
reg-ard to their circumstances of time, place 
etc., and only after we have mastered the 
subject in all its bearing's should we turn 
our attention upon some other vice or virtue. 
The method of making* the particular 
examen does not differ from that of the 
g-eneral examination; they have the same 
constituent parts, which follow each other 
in the same order. But the particular ex- 
amen has one part more than the g-eneral, 
and this consists in a careful and exact 
annotation of the points g-ained or lost 
with reg-ard to the present subject of ex- 
amination. This annotation constitutes the 
characteristic feature and is an essential 
part of this exercise, for it enables us to 
judg-e of the progress or regress, which 
we make from day to day, from week to 
week, from year to year, by comparing the 
records of one day, week, or year with 
that of the preceding, and to know whether 

10 



146 

we are gaining- or losing- in our spiritual 
warfare is a matter of the utmost import- 
ance. This annotation will also assist us 
in discovering- the sources and occasions 
of our sins and imperfections, and in form- 
ing- a true judgment in regard to the quali- 
ties of our resolutions. 

In order that the daily record may be 
of great practical utility it must be kept 
carefully and systematically. If the sub- 
ject of the examen is some vice, which we 
are endeavoring to extirpate, we should 
note down the defects or vicious acts; if 
the subject is some virtue, which we wish 
to develop, we should record the number 
of times we have practiced this virtue in 
the course of the day. We should also 
keep account of the number of times we 
have acted with reflection, i. e. with an 
actual advertence to the resolution, which 
we have made in the particular examen. 
for from these deliberate acts, which are 
either in keeping with the particular re- 
solution or at variance to it. we can best 
judge of the fruit derived from this exercise. 

From all that has been said we can 
easily infer that the fruit of the examen 
depends upon the resolution, which should 
have the following qualities: 

1. It should be serious and firm; it must 
not be made superficially and thoughtlessly, 
but it should spring from a great fervor 



147 

and from an intense love of the virtue, or 
a deep-seated hatred of the vice, which 
forms the subject of the examen. Our 
success depends upon the strength of our 
purpose, (Imit. Christ. B. 1. chap. 19.) And, 
indeed, if even those, who make strong- 
resolutions often relapse into their former 
sins and imperfections, what can be ex- 
pected from those, who never or only 
very seldom make a determined purpose 
of amendment? Hence we should frequently 
strive to renew our first fervor by reading- 
or meditating- upon the virtue or vice, 
which we have chosen for our particular 
examination. 

2. It should be manly and energ-etic, so 
that neither the greatness of difficulties 
nor the duration of the exertion, which it 
will require, may cause us to become faint- 
hearted in keeping- it. 

3. It should be prudent and discreet; we 
must not propose to ourselves too many 
thing's, or very difficult thing-s, and our 
resolution must not be too g-eneral, but 
we should make it as particular as possible, 
and as our streng-th increases we shonld 
proceed from thing's that are easy to those 
that are more difficult. A resolution that 
is not tempered by prudence and discretion 
will do little g-ood; it will be short-lived, 
for we will soon learn that the spirit is 
indeed willing- but that the flesh is weak. 
Such a resolution will not be kept, and it 



148 

will therefore have a discouraging* effect 
upon the mind and engender a disgust 
for the entire exercise. 

4. It should be accompanied by a guarded 
watchfulness, which should recall to our 
mind the resolution, which we have made, 
watch the occasions of breaking it and 
cautiously avoid them by calling the at- 
tention of the mind to them. It should also 
seek and point out the occasions of practi- 
cing what is contained in the resolution, 
it should urge us to bewail our failings 
and to punish ourselves for our want of 
fidelity, it should suggest new and more 
effective means of keeping the resolution 
and make our endeavors fruitful by ask- 
ing every day in fervent prayer the grace 
and assistance of Him, Who teacheth our 
hands to fight, and our fingers to war. 
(Ps. 143, 1.) 



§ 2. Selection of Subject for the Particular 
Examen. 

In this single-handed combat very much 
depends upon the prudent choice of the 
subject, whether it be a vice or a virtue. 
In choosing it we should be guided by the 
following rules: 

1. We should select as the subject mat- 
ter of the particular examen our predomi- 
nant vice or passion, that one, namely, 



149 



in which the other unruly passions and 
affections have their origin; 

2. when several vices or passions are 
equally strong- and dominant, that one 
should form the matter of our examen. 
which is more pernicious than the rest 
and places greater obstacles to spiritual 
progress, to a thorough conversion of mo- 
rals and to charity towards God and our 
neighbor; 

3. when several vices or passions are 
equally pernicious we should first attack 
those that are external; these do not escape 
the notice of others and they are conse- 
quently a source of scandal; they under- 
mine discipline, they disturb the peace of 
the community and expose the religious 
life to ridicule and contempt. Such vices 
in a Religious are: A general looseness of 
morals, worldly levity and want of com- 
posure, quarrelsomeness, detraction, mur- 
muring and hypocrisy; 

4. after we have rooted out the external 
vices we should give our attention to the 
internal, and exterminate them by the full 
development of those virtues, which are 
characteristic of the religious life, such 
as childlike and punctual obedience in all 
things, profound humility, the constant 
practice of mortification and self-denial, 
contempt of the world, enduring patience 
and perfect resignation to the will of God. 



150 

It is sometimes very difficult to de- 
termine, which is the predominant vice or 
passion; however if we allow ourselves to 
be guided by the following- rules, we will 
not fail to detect it: 

1. We should inquire into the proximate 
cause of that unusual joy or sadness, which 
occasionally affects the heart; for this 
cause is not far removed from the pre- 
dominant passion; 

2. w^e should carefully hunt up the source 
of our daily defects and of the sins, into 
which we fall most frequently; 

3. we should exercise a vigilance over 
our thoughts, to see what it is that we 
.think of most frequently, involuntarily 
and without advertence; 

4. we should be on the alert for those 
indications b}^ w^hich the predominant pas- 
sion usually distinguishes itself from others. 
Such indications are the following: 

1. It enters into almost all our actions 
and intentions; 

2. when the will is drawn in contrary 
directions by opposite affections, the pre- 
dominant passion invariably gives the issue; 

3. it hides itself most insiduously, ex- 
cuses itself most eloquently and becomes 
exceedingly exasperated when it is sus- 
pected or accused; 

4. although this passion persistently 
evades our own notice it is easily detected 



151 

by others; hence that vice, for which we 
are reproved by others, especially if they 
are well disposed towards us — that passion 
for which we are g-enerally or at least very 
frequently called to account by others, 
may safely be considered our predominant 
vice or passion. After we have discovered 
the predominant vice or passion by these 
methods, we should make a resolute attack 
upon it by practicing- the opposite virtue 
persevering-ly and habitually. In this way 
we will g*ain the victory over it more quickly 
and with greater profit to ourselves, for si- 
multaneously we will destroy the vice and 
foster the opposite virtue. The acts of 
virtue must not necessarily be external, for 
which time and opportunity may be want- 
ing", but they should be principally internal 
acts, which may be elicited or practiced 
at all times. Moreover, by internal acts 
we more readily acquire a facility and 
habit of making* such acts, which will 
naturally tend to manifest themselves in 
external actions; and also this is worthy 
of notice, that by interior acts the inner 
man is reformed, and without this interior 
reformation the exterior reformation is of 
little value and will not last long". — This 
attack must be continued not only until 
the vice or passion is weakened but until 
it is perfectly extirpated or subdued. The 
vice or passion is weakened when we easily 
overcome vehement temptations against the 



152 

opposite virtue; it is extirpated or subdued 
when the very thought of it fills us with 
horror and detestation, and then we should 
render thanks to God, through Whose as- 
sistance we have gained such an important 
victory. 



-:o:- 



CHAPTBR VII. 

Manifestation. 

The manifestation, which forms the sub- 
ject of this chapter, is a sincere and candid 
disclosure of the state or condition of the 
soul made to the religious superior or to 
the spiritual director. This manifestation 
is prescribed by the Holy Rule (chap. 4 
Inst. 51 and chap. 45.) and the Holy Fa- 
thers as well as all ascetical writers re- 
commend it as a most effective means to 
progress in the spiritual life. And, indeed, 
our nature is so depraved, so full of self- 
love, that, whilst we see the mote in the 
eye of our brother, we do not even feel 
the beam in our own eye, and this same 
self-love blinds us to such an extent that 
we fail to notice our own spiritual defects 
and wounds, it causes us to conceal them 
or even love them. This disease of the 
eve of the soul can be healed only by those, 
whom God has placed over our heads; for 



153 

as God has enjoined upon them to be fa- 
ther, teacher, counselor and physician to 
those committed to their care, so, on the 
other hand, has he commanded those to 
observe all that a son owes to the father, 
'the disciple to his master, the perplexed 
to his adviser and the sick man to his 
physician. They owe to their superiors and 
spiritual guides love, confidence, dutiful- 
ness and candid sincerity. Hence, just as 
one who is suffering- from some disease or 
infirmity of the body must not conceal his 
wounds, ailments and their causes from 
the ph}^sician, so the Religious must not 
fail to make known to his spiritual phy- 
sician the ailments of the soul together 
with their causes. The obligation of mak- 
ing a manifestation is specially incumbent 
upon beginners, for they are yet strangers 
to the science of the Saints, whilst they 
are often imbued with the pernicious prin- 
ciples and maxims of the world and dan- 
gerous prejudices, which cause them to 
have little respect for virtue, to look with 
suspicion upon the solid principles of as- 
ceticism, to shirk the yoke of religious 
life, or to carry it reluctantly or even to 
shake it off entirely, thereby endangering 
their eternal happiness, unless they vomit 
out the poison in time by a candid mani- 
festation and open their hearts to the 
principles and teachings of the science of 
the Saints. Hence S. Dorotheus says: This 



154 

or that is often assigned as the cause why 
such a one fell into sin, zvhy such another 
left the monastery; it is said that he left on 
account of sickness, on account of the inter- 
ference of his parents, but I say these ai'e 
not the true causes, they are only pretexts; 
the truth is that he grew dissatisfied with 
religious life and left his monastery because 
he failed to unbosom himself in the beg'in- 
ning to his spiritual adviser and physician. 
And, indeed, this want of frankness and 
openheartedness is the result of secret pride. 
It is an unmistakable indication of pride 
to think that we do not stand in need of 
the advice of anyone else, to profess self- 
sufficiency, to imagine that we can direct 
ourselves in the spiritual life. Hence God 
punishes those, who subvert the plans of 
divine providence in this matter, by spir- 
itual blindness and hardness of heart, so 
that seeing- they tnay not see and hearing- 
may not understand. He will deliver them 
up to a reprobate sense on account of their 
vain thoug-hts and the words of the Apos- 
tle will be verified in them: Professing 
themselves to be wise they beca?ne fools. 
(Rom, 1, 22.) S. Bernard says: Whoever 
constitutes himself his own master, makes 
himself the disciple of a fool. Finally a 
candid manifestation is a most opportune 
and effective remedy ag-ainst temptations 
of all kinds and an efficacious means of 
frustrating* the deceitful machinations of 



155 

the wily serpent. The prince of darkness 
hates the light, and hence, as Cassian says. 
when he is brought out from his dark 
lurking- place and exposed to the light by 
an open confession he takes to flight: when 
he is unmasked his power is broken. 

This manifestation is twofold, ordinary and 
extraordinary. The ordinary is that which 
is made by the direction of the superior 
or spiritual director, who also designates 
its subject matter. The extraordinary ma- 
nifestation is that which is made of one's 
own accord. It is not limited to any fixed 
time nor to particular matters, on the con- 
trary it comprises everything that belongs 
to the internal or external state or con- 
dition of the soul or body — temptations. 
doubts, adversities, attachments, proclivi- 
ties, passions, aids and obstacles to spiritual 
progress, inspirations, special inclinations 
to certain virtues, spiritual things or ob- 
jects of piety, the intentions, by which we 
are usually actuated in our actions, the 
estimation we have of our vocation, the 
endeavors we are making to excite and 
nourish holy desires in ourselves, the gift 
of prayer and the degree of perfection, 
which we have acquired in this spiritual 
art. etc. 

Concerning all these things we must give 
an account in our manifestation 

1. timely, lest the evils grow strong 
whilst we postpone the manifestation; 



156 

2. humbly, by an abnegation of our own 
judgment and a heroic victory oyer pride, 
which is wont to conceal its deformities 
and vices; 

3. briefly and to the point, avoiding all 
useless and irrelevant narrations; 

4. sincerely and openly, without conceal- 
ing anything; 

5. clearly and candidly, without abiguity 
or equivocation; 

6. submissively, by accepting the advice, 
by complying with the admonitions and by 
applying the remedies suggested by the 
superior or spiritual director. This mani- 
festation may always be made to the Abbot, 
who is pre-eminently the spiritual father 
of all his subjects; usually, how r ever, it is 
made to the spiritual directors and con- 
fessors, to whom the Abbot entrusts a part 
of his pastoral care over his spiritual flock. 
Of these Christ has said: He that heareth 
you. heareth vie : (Luke 10, 16.) these God 
has placed over our heads. (Ps. 65, 12.) 

Hence, although they be men, and al- 
though they may show by their faults that 
they have not yet reached the summit of 
perfection, yet we must never lose confi- 
dence in them; we should be practically 
mindful of the words of the Holy Rule: 
(chap. 4.) To obey the commands of the 
Abbot in all things, even when {which God 
forbid*) he fails to practice what he teaches, 
being mindful of the command of the Lord: 



157 

All things therefore whatsoever they shall 
say to you, observe and do; but according 
to their works do ye not, (Matt. 23, 2.) 

What difference does it make in the end, 
through whom God may wish to direct 
and lead us to Himself? His power and 
wisdom are not dependent upon human 
science, adroitness, rectitude. Away, there- 
fore, with all suspicious, rash judgements 
and everything* that may tend to instill 
into our hearts aversion or repugnance to 
our spiritual father or g-uide! In fact, if 
we should notice something- in the actions 
or character of our superior or spiritual 
director, that causes us to be displeased 
with him or make it difficult for us to 
follow his suggestions and obey his com- 
mands, we should not conceal it from him, 
but in all frankness and sincerity we should 
mention it to him. This childlike candor 
and unaffected freedom will redound to our 
honor and be a source of consolation to the 
superior or spiritual g-uide. 

In a word, we should feel perfectly con- 
vinced that the benig-n providence of God, 
which uses men to teach and direct others, 
will not allow us to be led astray as long- 
as we are openhearted and obedient to the 
moderator of our consciences, even thoug-h 
he should not possess eminent learning- and 
sanctity. On the other hand, we should 
endeavor to realize well that God, to Whom 
every mocker is an abomination and Whose 



158 

communication is with the simple, (Prov. 
3, 32.) will punish him who acts deceitfully 
and fraudulently towards his director and 
strives to deceive him. Even the most 
learned and saintly guide will not direct 
such a dissembler successfully, for God 
scorns the scorners (Prov. 3, 34.) and hates 
the mouth with a double tongue. (Prov. 
8, 13.) 



-:o: 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Religious Modesty. 

By faithfully putting- into practice all 
that has been said in the preceding- chap- 
ters, we will not fail to reform the interior 
man and we will speedily arrive at a high 
degree of religious perfection. But the ex- 
terior man also requires attention. In the 
religious profession we promised a refor- 
mation of the entire man, and consequently 
if we wish to become perfect Religious we 
must bring the exterior man into harmony 
with the interior, perfected man. Now, 
this harmony will be established if we ac- 
quire, preserve and practice religious mod- 
est}^, and in this chapter we intend to ex- 
plain its nature and necessity, and to lay 
down general and particular rules, accord- 



159 

ing- to which the exterior man must be 
fashioned. 

§ 1. Nature of Keligious Modesty. 

Modesty is a moral virtue, which duly 
feg-ulates the speech tog-ether with all the 
external actions and movements of the body, 
so that in manners and behavior nothing- 
is found that may give offense to others, 
but, on the contrary, our whole deportment 
becomes a source of pleasure and edification 
to those with whom we associate. Card. 
Bona gives, what may be called an analy- 
sis of this virtue and shows us how to 
practice it. He says: "Modesty requires 
cleanliness of dress, composure of the hands, 
cheerfulness of countenance, unruffled brozv, 
downcast eyes, a dignified gait, pleasing 
speech, discreet laughter, courteous manners, 
so that nothing in our exterior conduct may 
give the least offense to others." (Horolog-. 
Ascet.) The term modesty has therefore 
a very comprehensive signification; it is 
rather an ag-gregation of many moral vir- 
tues than one single perfection, for it com- 
prises honorableness of character, reserve, 
humility, g-entleness, truthfulness, candor, 
prudence and general civility towards all. 
When modesty is not accompanied by these 
attendant virtues, it is not genuine and will 
therefore not be lasting-. From this it is 
easily inferred that the foundation, upon 



160 

which religious modesty rests, is a holy 
fear and timidity, arrising from a loving- 
remembrance of the presence of God and 
nourished by ejaculatory prayers and pious* 
aspirations. Hence St. Benedict repeatedly 
recommends the practical remembrance of 
the presence of God, not only as a most 
effective instrument of virtue and good 
works, (chap. 4. inst. 49.) but also (chap. 
7.) as a means of exterminating- vices and 
other bad habits, and as the foundation 
of interior and exterior humility; and ex- 
terior humility is nothing- else than re- 
ligious modesty. 

§ 2. Necessity of Religious Modesty. 

The necessity of this virtue arises from 
the fact that we are Christians, from the 
fact that we are Religious and from the 
oblig-ation of preserving- our g*ood name. 
Regarding- the first it will suffice to say 
that modesty is a characteristic virtue of 
the Christian and that Christ himself in- 
culcated it to his followers when he said: 
Learn from Me for I am meek and humble 
of heart. (Matt, 11, 29.) He practiced this 
virtue to such a degree that S. Paul did 
not hesitate to add weight and force to 
his admonitions by reminding the Corinth- 
ians of the example of Christ, saying: / 
Paul myself beseech you, by the mildness 
and modesty of Christ. (II. Cor. 10, 1.) 



161 

Hence the same Apostle in many places 
exhorts the faithful to practice this virtue: 
Put ye on therefore as the elect of God, 
holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy, be- 
nignity, humility, modesty, patience. (Colos. 

3, 12.) Brethren, we pray and beseech you 
that you walk honestly towards them that 
are without. (I. Thess. 4, 11.) With honor 
preventing one another. (Rom. 12, 10.) Let 

your modesty be known to all men. (Phil. 

4, 5.) Finally in his letter to the Romans, 
(12, 17.) he says: Providing good things 
not only in the' sight of God, but also in 
the sight of all men. S. Bernard interprets 
these words of the Apostle as follows: 
Every one should endeavor to be without 
reproach, first before God and then before 
all men; in three ways can we provide good 
things in the sight of ?nen, by our manners, 
by our actions, by our speech; by our man- 
ners, which should not be excentric, by our 
actions which should not be reprehensible, 
by our speech which should not be con- 
temptible. 

S. John Chrysostom (23. horn, to the 
people of Antioch.) says: // is ad7nitted 
that faith is the light of the world, and 
this faith manifests itself in the gait, in 
look, in manners, in speech. I say this not 
that we ?nay boast of ourselves before others, 
but that they may be edified by our conduct. 
Now, if this is true of every Christian, it 
is pre-eminently true of every Religious. 

11 



162 

To Religious, who by their vocation are 
placed upon the candlestick and man}^ of 
whom are set upon the mountain in virtue 
of their priestly dignity — to Religious 
has it been said in the person of the 
Apostles: Tou are 'the light of the world; 
so let your light shine before men, that they 
may see your good works, and glorify your 
Father Who is in heaven. (Matt. 5, 14.) 
Hence we find no Rule of any religious 
Order, no monastic constitutions, which 
do not lay particular stress upon the ob- 
servance of religious modesty, for it is at 
the same time a source and a criterion of 
a solid conversion of morals. It is a source, 
for, as S. Bonaventure says: (Specul. Novit. 
p. I. c. 74.) Whilst modesty subjects the 
body to a rigorous discipline, the mind ac- 
quires constancy, and by degrees attains 
interior peace and tranquillity of the soul, 
because a diligent vigilance over the actions 
of the exterior man curbs the passions and 
does not allow them free scope. Modesty 
is a criterion of a true conversion of mo- 
rals, because, as the same Holy Doctor 
says: (de 6 Alis Seraph, c. 4.) To relin- 
quish exte?'ior discipline, which has been 
instituted as an ornamejit to religion and 
an effective means of spiritual progress, is 
the sign of a neglected conscience and of 
interior levity. A man is known by his 
look, and a wise man, when thou meetest 
him is known by his countenance. The at- 



163 

tire of the body, and the laughter of the 
teeth, and the gait of the man show what 
he is. (Eccli. 19, 26. 27.) Hence S. Ber- 
nard lays down the following* infallible 
rule: When you see a monk, of whom you 
have always had a good opinion, begin to 
look about wherever he stands, walks or 
sits, to carry his head high, to show a de- 
sire of hearing everything that is going 
on, you may at once infer from the exterior 
change that has taken place, that a similar 
change has occurred within: for, a pe?'- 
verted man keeps his eyes askant, his feet 
are always astir, his fingers are restive and 
the froward and petulent movements of the 
body are the sy?nptoms of some new disease 
of the soul. And finally lie says: Without 
modesty we may have the semblance of con- 
version, but not the reality ; a conversion 
devoid of vii'tue, bears only the appearance 
of true holiness of life. 

From this it follows, that a Religious, 
especially a Benedictine, who does not 
practice the virtue of religious modesty, 
is unfaithful to his profession, in which 
he solemnly promised to God a conversion 
of morals; he also makes himself guilty 
of unmitigated contempt of his Holy Rule, 
which so graphically describes religious 
modesty and so earnest^ enjoins it; 
(chap. 7.) and in the last chapter S. Be- 
nedict saj^s in a general way that the en- 
tire Holy Rule was written that by ob- 



164 

serving" it in our monasteries we may- show 
that we have acquired some probity of 
morals and that we have at least a small 
beginning* of religious discipline. But if 
we adhere to the world by exhibiting* an 
unrestrained levity in our words and ac- 
tions, we will lie to God by our religious 
dress and soon become as detestable as the 
Sarabaites. 

Now, if it be true that the absence of 
modesty in the deportment of a man is a 
sure indication of some internal disorder, 
it is evident that Religious, who are de- 
void of modesty, do not guard their g*ood 
name. They debase themselves before the 
eyes of the world, particularly in these 
times, when the revilers of monastic insti- 
tutions divulg-e and exaggerate even the 
least failings of Religious, which may 
come to their notice. Moreover, as a mat- 
ter of fact, thoug-h unjustly, the faults of 
individuals are imputed to the entire com- 
munity; hence it follows, that those Re- 
ligious, who show a lack of modesty, not 
only debase themselves but also bring* the 
Monastery and their Order into bad repute, 
so that what S. Greg*ory once said of 
wicked priests may be justly applied to 
them: / do not think that God (the reli- 
gious state) is dishonored so much by any- 
one as by wicked -priests, (Religious devoid 
of modesty) when He sees those, whom He 
had chosen to watch over the morals of 



165 

others, give scandal by their public offenses; 
when those commit sin, who should appease 
the anger of God and weep over the sins 
of others; when those, who have been called 
to dwell in a place of holiness, occupy them- 
selves with wordly affairs, (by their proud, 
scurrilous, scandalous conduct.) (Horn. 12. 
in Luc.) There is nothing- so amiable as 
a modest youth. S. Bernard says: What 
a beautiful and resplendent gem is modesty 
of manners in the life and countenance of 
a young man! It is a reliable indication 
of future worth, the index of a noble mind; 
it is the rod of discipline; it expels evil 
habits, defends interior -purity; it is the 
glo?y of his conscience, the guardian of his 
good name, it is an ornament to his life, 
the seat of virtues and source, from which 
they spring; it bespeaks the beauty of his 
nature and is a token of all that is honor- 
able. (Ser. 16. super Cant.) 

On the contrary, S. Bonaventure says: 
An overbearing and insolent youth is a dis- 
grace to the religious profession. (Spec. 
Novit. p. I. c. 8.) Hence, since everyone 
is in duty bound to protect the honor and 
good name of the community, of which he 
is a member, the words of S. Paul to Ti- 
tus are applicable in a special way to the 
members of a religious community, and his 
words contain not a mere counsel but a 
strict command; he says: In all things 
show thyself an example of good works, 



166 

in doctrine, in integrity, in gravity, the 
sound word that can not be blamed: that 
he, who is on the contrary part, ?7tay be 
afraid, having no evil to say of us. (Tit. 
2, 7. 8.) No one can hurt us if we be 
zealous of good, (I. Pet. 3. 13.) and there 
is no better way of closing- the mouths of 
the revilers of the religious state, than by 
exhibiting* at all times an unfeig-ned re- 
ligious modesty and gravity of deport- 
ment. 

§ 3. General Rules of Religious Modesty. 

We call those g-eneral rules, which 
readily adapt themselves to all circum- 
stances. S. Bonaventure sums them up in 
the following- words: The manners of Re- 
ligious should have three qualities; they 
should be dignified, humble and gentle. 
They should be dignified in order that we 
may manifest no levity in gait, that we may 
not indulge in loud and inordinate laughter, 
that we may not be flippant and garrulous 
in speech, that we may not be insolent, bold 
and froward in our looks, that we may not 
be nonsensical, clownish or mimical in our 
general intercourse with others, that we may 
not be whimsical, restive or uncultured in 
the posture of our bodies or their members. 
Our manners should bear the impress of 
humility, in order that we may not be over- 
bearing in our carriage, that we may exer- 



167 

rise a diligent care over our eyes, that eveiy 
movement of the body may be in accord 
with the requirements of modesty and pro- 
priety, that zee may love simplicity in dress, 
that zee may be content with poor fare and 
'lodgings, that we may since?'ely seek the 
last place at all times, that we may avoid 
boastful words and gestures, that we may 
bear contempt with silence, that we may flee 
from praise, that we may decline to be 
se/i'ed by others and be ever ready to mini- 
ster to the spiritual and co?po?'al wants of 
others, even in the meanest and lowliest 
things. Finally, our manners should be 
gentle, that we ?nay listen to the advice of 
others, that we may do favors to others even at 
a sacrifice of our own ease and convenience, 
that we may yield to the judgments of 
others and shai'e with them all we have, 
that we may make ourselves agreeable to 
others and be cheerful in the Lord, that 
we may be affable and social, openhcarted 
without divulging secrets; always ready to 
give and return thanks for favors ?xceived, 
that we may always be charitable in inter- 
preting the actions and motives of others, 
that we may show respect to all, despise 
no one and never make ourselves guilty of 
7'ash judgment. 

In this way our intercourse with others 
will invite respect, because it is dignified, 
it will become worthy of imitation, because 
it is humble; it will become amiable, be- 



168 

cause it is gentle. The dignity and gravity 
of onr demeanor will temper our gentleness 
that it may not degenerate into levity and 
effeminacy ; our gentleness will moderate 
our gravity of deportment that it may not 
turn into moroseness and peevishness: it 
will also dii'ect our humility so that we 
may not incur the least suspicion of either 
vain-glor\\ affectation or hypocrisy. 

§ 4. Special Rules of Religious Modesty. 

In order that we may not be drawn be- 
yond the reasonable limits of our compend- 
ium by the abundance of matter that might 
be ranged under the heading* of this para- 
graph, we will confine ourselves to a few 
circumstances in the ordinary daily life of 
a Religious and lay down special rules by 
which he should regulate his conduct. 

I. lit Conversation. 

1. We should never fail to make a 
good intention, in order to fortify the soul 
against all temptations. When it is possible, 
we should also prepare the matter so that 
we ma}' always speak to the edification of 
those with whom we associate. 

2. We should frequently elevate our hearts 
to God by means of holy aspirations. By 
this practical and loving remembrance of the 
presence of God we will guard against all 



169 

inordinate and worldly merriment, which 
r -ource of mental dissipation. 

tures should give no indication 
dejection, weariness or drowsi- 
ness, n r should we exhibit any listles-r.es-. 
or lack of interest in our conversation- 
Should we fail to observe this rule we would 
make ourselves painfully disagreeable to 
those, who had a right to expect mental 
relaxation from their intercourse with us. 

We should pay special attention to 
the injunction of the apostle and alwa~- 
render honor, to whom honor is due. > Rom. 
13. 7. When we associate with anyone, 
our entire manner of acting and speaking 
sh:udd re:ie:t the reverence, esterrn and 
honor in which we hold him. The observ- 
ance of this rule will effectually exclude 
from our conversations all self-glorification 
and will make our deportment truly pol- 
ished and agreeable. 

5. We should studiously avoid all undue 
familiarity with others, which is apt to 
become a very pest to a religious com- 
munity: we should flee and detest all forms 
of private friendship, which has neither 
God nor the salvation of souls as its ob- 
: but springs from the flesh and seeks 
its gratification in the flesh alone. TVe 
should be the same towards all — polite, 
hum':;-, kind, respectful and rondescend- 
inga 



170 

6. We should exclude from our words 
and actions everything- that is dark, hid- 
den, underhanded, deceitful, deceptive, 
tricky, feigned or dissembled; we should 
speak the truth with heart and lips, season 
our speech with the salt of prudence and 
thus imitate the simplicicity of the dove 
according- to the precept of our divine 
Master. 

7. We should above all things preserve 
inviolate the bonds of peace and harmony; 
without peace and concord, as S. Jerome 
says, religious houses become veritable 
hells, where the one is the other's devil. 
Hence we should frequently call to mind 
the characteristic marks of true, Christian 
charity, which S. Paul enumerates as fol- 
lows: Charity is patient, is kind: Charity 
envieth not, dealeth not perversely, is not 
puffed tip, is not ambitious, seeketh not her 
own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no 
evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, bat rejoiceth 
with the truth: Beareth all things, believeth 
all things* hopeth all things, endureth all 
things. (I. Cor. 13, 4.-7.) 

8. We must therefore not converse 
more with the hands than with the 
tongue; to do so would be an offense 
against the rules of politeness, it would 
show a lack of good taste and culture 
and would be an indication of latent 
pride and levity. S. Bonaventure says: 
Every ?nove?nent and gesture 'of the speaker 



171 

should bear the impress of modesty; he 
should not throw his arms about in a wild 
and agitated manner, he should not contort 
his features by rolling the eyes, by com- 
pressing or biting the lips, by drawing the 
mouth to oive side, or by any other unbe- 
coming movement, but his countenance should 
always bear the expression of seriousness, 
kindness and meekness, (Tom. VII. p. 1. 549, 
c. 20. Spec. Discipl.) 

9. We should speak only of serious, 
useful or necessary things; for scurrility, 
idle words and such as provoke inordinate 
laughter, are condemned by the Holy Rule 
(chap. 6.) and by the excellence and holi- 
ness of our state of life, upon which, those 
bring discredit, who are frivolous and non- 
sensical in speech. It is, indeed, allowed 
to make use of pleasantries occasionally 
to make ourselves or others cheerful, but 
they must always be within the limits of 
propriety. Whatever we may say to re- 
create the mind should be seasoned with 
the salt ol evangelical wisdom, it should 
be reasonable, seasonable and never un- 
charitable. 

10. We should speak with reflection, weigh 
our words and not become garrulous. A 
man full of tongue shall ?iot be established 
in the earth. (Ps. 139, 12.) S. Bonaventure 
says: The wise man will carefully consider 
when to speak and when to be silent, he 
weighs and examines every word twice be- 



172 

fore placing it upon his tongue; zvheras 
the fool splutters out pro?niscuously, what- 
ever youthful exuberance or his predominant 
passion may suggest. 

11. We should avoid all intentional ambi- 
guities and mental restrictions, all duplicity, 
dissembling, untruthfulness and boasting; 
our conversation should be full of holy 
sincerity and open-hearted simplicity. /;/ 
all thy works let the true word go bofore 
thee. (Eccli. 37, 20.) My 7nouth shall medi- 
tate truth, and my lips shall hate wicked- 
ness. (Prov. 8, 7.) 

12. We should avoid all detraction, cal- 
umny, contumely, derision, murmuring, 
sarcasm, and everything else that ma}^ 
give offense or hurt the feelings of others. 
We should particularly guard against say- 
ing anything injurious or uncharitable of 
those, who are absent; on the contrary we 
should protect the good name of our ab- 
sent brethern by concealing, excusing or 
at least palliating their faults. 

13. We should avoid everything that even 
in the least degree savors of pride, vanity 
or ostentation, lest we lose merit before 
God and draw upon ourselves the contempt 
of men; on the contrary we should observe 
an inviolate silence concerning ourselves 
and our doings. 

14. We should avoid with equal humility, 
all strife, loud and obstinate disputes and 
wordy altercations; we should advance and 



173 

uphold our opinions with modesty, humility 
and charity; otherwise we may seriously 
offend ag-ainst fraternal charity and our 
colloquy- may deg-enerate into mutual re- 
crimination. It is an honor for a man to 
separate himself from quarrels; but all fools 
are meddling with reproaches. (Prov. 20, 3.) 

15. We should manifest the same gentle- 
ness towards all, be they great or small, 
superiors or inferiors, learned or unlearned. 
We should never be curt or snappish in 
conversation; to be so is a sig-n of ill-con- 
cealed contempt, impatience and peevish- 
ness. When we are questioned we should 
answer calmly, without giving- the least 
indication of any inordinate passion or 
aversion; 

16. We should most carefully avoid every- 
thing- uncultured or uncouth in our con- 
versations and always pay due honor and 
respect to those, with whom we speak. 

17. We should never wantonly interrupt 
others whilst they are speaking-, by con- 
tradicting- their statements, by telling- our 
own experiences, by making- irrelevant re- 
marks, and we should be particularly care- 
ful not to answer questions before they are 
asked. He that answereth before he heareth, 
showeth himself to be a fool, and worthy 
of confusion. (Prov. 18, 13.) 

If we are animated by genuine charity, 
we will always look upon the words and 
actions of others with a simple and pure 



174 

mind; we will place the best possible 
interpretation upon everything- they say, 
we will think well of all, we will judge 
none, we will despise none. 

Like S. Paul, we will strive to become 
all to all. In all things that are not con- 
trary to conscience, the Holy Rule, precepts 
or duties of our state, we will accommodate 
ourselves to others, we will be submissive 
even to the least in the community; out 
of regard for peace and harmony we will 
cheerfully submit our judgment, we will 
deny our will, we will sacrifice our con- 
venience and self-love. We will do all this 
particularly when we are called upon to 
associate with such as are less polished in 
their manners, proud, contentious, wise in 
their own conceit. To associate peaceably 
with persons of such dispositions requires 
great virtue and a high degree of spiritual 
perfection. Such members are burdens, 
which are found in every religious com- 
munity; but we will bear them patiently 
if we remember that we too have our faults 
and weaknesses, which tax the patience of 
of others. Hence we should deeply impress 
upon our hearts the words of the Imitation 
of Christ: If you wish to be borne with 
yourself bear with others. (B. II. c. 3.) 

If we are ever mindful of religious mod- 
esty and put it into practice, the body with 
all its members and actions will conform 
itself to the requirements of true civility 



175 

and humility. We will not speak in a loud 
and boastful tone of voice, we will avoid 
all immoderate laughter, all buffoonery 
and vulgar pleasantries, all flippancy and 
petulance of language, particular^ in our 
conversation and intercourse with seculars. 

II. At Table. 

1. S. Paul lays down a general rule of 
life, which we should carefully observe 
when we take food or drink. He says: 

We should live soberly, and justly, and 
godly in this world. (Tit. 2, 12.) We live 
soberly when we do not allow our natural 
appetite to determine the quantity and 
quality of our food and drink, but partake 
only of that which is necessary to sustain 
life and strength that we may continue to 
serve God. We live justly when we not 
only leave to others their allotted portions, 
but also choose for ourselves the things 
that are less palatable, and occasionally 
deprive ourselves of a part of our portion 
for the sake of the poor. We live godly 
when we mortify ourselves and purify our 
intention as often as the sensual appetite 
tempts us to seek mere gratification whilst 
we replenish our bodies. 

2. We should never go to table without 
first visiting the Blessed* Sacrament, at 
least mentally, to implore the divine as- 
sistance against all temptations to intem- 
perence in eating and drinking. 



176 

3. Before and after meals, whilst we are 
in the refectory, we should observe every 
detail of religious modesty in our looks, 
posture, etc., in compunction of heart and 
deep humility. 

4. At table we should sit free and easy, 
not too erect nor too much bent, we should 
not support ourselves on our elbows nor 
cross our feet, we should carefully guard 
our eyes, and no word, no sound but the 
reader's voice should be heard. (Holy Rule, 
chap. 38.) 

5. We should look upon those who serve 
us at table, as Ang-els of the Lord, throug-h 
whom He feeds His servants. 

6. We should not use our fing-ers where 
it is proper to use knife, fork or spoon, 
and these should always be kept clean so 
as not to provoke nausea in those who sit 
near us. 

7. We should not eat so fast as to be 
done long- before the rest, nor so slowly as 
to keep others waiting-. 

8. We should not selet a second piece 
before we have fully disposed of the first; 
to do so is a mark of greediness, which 
is most unbecoming* in a Religious. 

9. Should we find anything- nauseating- 
on our plate or in any dish, we should not 
call the attention of others to it, but quietly 
request the waiter to remove the plate or 
dish, and say no more about it. 



177 

10. If there be a deficiency in the quan- 
tity or a defect in the quality or prepara- 
tion of the food, let us remember that we 
are useless servants, that we have vowed 
poverty and that mortification is necessary. 
At any rate, let us not murmur, if we must 
make complaint, let us go to the superior 
and not disturb the community. 

11. We should observe moderation at all 
times, but particularly when we are in- 
vited or obliged to dine with strangers and 
seculars, when the danger of indulging to 
excess is often augmented by the bad ex- 
ample and importunities of others, whom 
we would scandalize by our excesses. 

III. In the Dormitory. 

All Religious sleep in single beds, but 
usually many or at least several occupy 
the same apartment or dormitory. In it 
the following rules should regulate our 
conduct: 

1. The strictest silence must be observed 
by all and towards all. S. Benedict ex- 
pressly requires this in his Holy Rule, 
(chap. 42.) The observance of this noctur- 
nal silence is so essential to the preserva- 
tion of religious discipline that no superior 
can conscientiously even connive at its 
violation, and no usage or custom, no dif- 
ference how long it may have continued, 
can make it legitimate to disregard the 

12 



178 

rule on this point. So important is the 
observance of this silence, that, except in 
case of necessity, its violation can scarcely 
ever be excused from venial sin; and if 
such violation be loud, protracted and fre- 
quent it will easily become a mortal sin 
on account of the implied contempt of the 
Holy Rule. 

2. The grave obligation of observing 
this silence as well as fraternal charity 
require that we make as little noise as 
possible in going up or down stairs, in 
opening- or closing- doors, in taking- off 
our shoes etc., and that in all our move- 
ments, even when we are in a hurry, we 
cause no unnecessary disturbance. 

3. Beds should be carefully made at the 
proper time, and they as well as the en- 
tire apartment should always be scrupu- 
lously clean. 

IV. In the Cell. 

1. The cell should always be neat and 
clean. Furniture, clothes, books and all 
other thing's in the room should be in 
their proper places, and the bed well made. 

2. In our cells, even when we are not 
observed by others, we should always pre- 
serve a decent and modest posture, because 
there is One, Who always sees us. 

3. Nothing- should be found in the cell 
that the superior did not give us or per- 
mit us to have. Nothing superfluous, 



179 

nothing- that savors of vanity or effeminacy 
should be found there. Such thing's do 
not harmonize with the state which we 
profess — a state of poverty and morti- 
fication. 

4. In bed we should always be modest 
and chaste, keeping* ourselves well covered 
even at a sacrifice of ease and comfort. 

5. We should not enter the cell of an- 
other without permission, and even then 
make our stay as short as possible, speak 
in a whisper only, and leave the door of 
the cell open. 

6. Lengthy confabs and private conven- 
ticles breed much evil in religious com- 
munities, and we should therefore never 
tolerate them in our cells. They are a 
violation of obedience and silence and un- 
dermine religious discipline; the faults of 
superiors and confreres are the usual to- 
pics of conversation at such clandestine 
meetings, and hence fraternal charity and 
the peace of the community suffer, unholy 
alliances and private friendships are formed 
and valuable time is wasted. 

The faithful observance of these rules 
and of others that will readily suggest 
themselves, will cause our modest}^ to be 
known to all men, (Phil. 4, 5.) and 
make us a pleasing spectacle to God, to 
the world, to Angels and to men. (I. Cor. 
4, 9.) 



180 

With this we conclude the second part 
of the Tyrocinium. May the Novice in 
religion not think lightly of or disregard 
anything- that has been said. The Re- 
ligious will never fulfill the grave obli- 
gation of striving after perfection, unless 
he learns to perform all his ordinary, daily 
duties and actions perfectly. This he will 
do if he zealously practices the lessons he 
has been taught in this second part. But 
if he should fail to regulate his conduct 
by these teachings, he will make little or 
no progress in the science of the Saints. 
He may do great things in the eyes of 
the world, but they will be worthless in 
the sight of God, Who looks to the heart 
rather than to the work. — True holiness 
does not consist in doing great or many 
things, but it consists in doing all things 
well. 



PART THIRD. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Religious State. 

§ 1. Nature of the Keligious State. 

The religious state is one in which men 
or women oblige themselves to strive con- 
tinually after perfection, by observing the 
vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, 
according to a fixed rule, in an Order ap- 
proved of by the Church. 

It is called a state, because it implies a 
certain stability and uniformity of life 
founded upon vows, which are to remain 
in force until death. 

Of men or women. It is understood that 
they must be baptized and profess the true 
faith, for without faith it is impossible to 
please God. (Heb. 11, 6.) 

Oblige themselves to strive after per- 
fection. Perfection is the principal end 
of the religious state; however it is not a 
state of perfection already acquired, but 



182 

it imposes the obligation of tending- to- 
wards perfection. 

Strive continually. St. Bernard says, as 
soon as a Religious fails to advance on 
the way of perfection he begins to lose 
what he had gained. 

By observing the three vows of poverty, 
chastity and obedience. These three vows 
are essential to the religious state, and 
through them the principal obstacles to 
perfection are removed. All that is in the 
world is the concupiscence of the fleshy the 
concicpiscence of the eyes and the pride of 
life. (I. John 2, 16.) 

By concupiscence of the eyes, according 
to the common interpretation of the Fa- 
thers, is meant the inordinate desire to pos- 
sess the riches of this world. Our Lord 
Himself has taught us what dangers are 
connected with earthly riches. Amen I 
say to you, that a rich man shall ha7'dly 
enter into the kingdom of heaven . . . It is 
easier for a camel to pass through the eye 
of a needle, than for a rich man to enter 
into the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 19, 
23. 24.) How many dangers are found in 
the concupiscence of the flesh! S. Isidore 
says: The devil holds more in his grasp 
through the sins of lust than through all 
the other vices combined. S. Bernardine 
says: This sin of lust fills hell with delight 
and carries almost the whole human race 



183 

to perdition. (4. Serm. on Lust.) By pride 
of live self-will is meant, of which S. 
Bernard says: Take away self -will and hell 
will cease to exist. (3. Serm. on Easter.) But 
the vow of poverty is opposed to the con- 
cupiscence of the eyes; the vow of chastity 
to a great extent removes the dangers 
arising- from the concupiscence of the flesh, 
and the vow of obedience counteracts the 
dangerous tendencies of pride of life or 
self-will, and hence these three vows by 
their very nature lead to perfection. 

According to some fixed rule. Hence 
Religious are called Regulars, from regula, 
which signifies a rule. A religious Order 
is a complete organization and cannot 
exist without some rules, just as a civil 
societ}' can not exist without laws. Hence 
the Council of Trent enjoins that all Re- 
ligious should live in conformity to the 
rule, which they have professed; (sess. 25. 
chap. I.) and S. Benedict speaks with no 
little indignation of the Sarabaites, who, 
without having been tried by any Rule . . . 
are known to belie God by their tonsure. 
(chap. 1.) 

In an Order approved of by the Church. 
In the IV. Council of the Lateran, Inno- 
cent III. reserved the right of approving 
religious Orders to the Holy See, but be- 
fore that an indirect and tacit approval 
was sufficient. 



184 

Inference: 

The name Religious is undoubtedly taken 
from the word religion, for Religious in 
virtue of their profession are obliged to 
practice continually the virtue of religion 
by keeping their vows conscientiously, by 
chanting the divine praises by day and by 
night and by performing other pious works, 
and, in general, by leading a virtuous life. 
Hence those Religious, who continue to 
lead worldly lives belie- God and man by 
the name which they bear. 

§ 2. Dignity and Excellence of the Religious State. 

It is a characteristic of the religious 
state, that the life, which it enjoins finds 
its model not only in the Apostles but also 
in Christ Himself. S. Jerome says, that 
Christ and the Apostles were the first Re- 
ligious. S. Chrysostom makes the same 
remark. And, indeed, the end, for which 
the religious state was instituted, is most 
exalted, and the means of attaining this 
end are most effective. The end is to serve 
God perfectly, to love Him perfectly and 
to sing His praises without intermission. 
The means are the religious vows. The 
religious life is an imitation of the occu- 
pation of the Blessed in heaven: Like 
these, so also Religious, in as far as their 
present imperfect condition permits, are 



185 

wholly and continually intent upon serving- 
God and proclaiming- His praises in hymns 
and canticles. S. Lawrence Justinian says: 
Here on earth and in oar present pilgrim- 
age we find nothing that gives a truer re- 
' presentation of our heavenly home than the 
religions life of a community, which has 
dedicated itself to the service of God. (De 
Monte Pert. cap. .6.) S.Bernard, speaking 
of the religious state, says:. In it man 
lives more purely, falls less frequently, rises 
more speedily, acts more circumspectly , re- 
ceives richer measures, of graces, dies more 
confidently , is purified more quickly and 
rewarded more abundantly. (Horn, de Quae- 
renti bonas marg., cap. 7.) These are 
weighty words and deserving- of our most 
earnest consideration. 

Practical Inferences: 

1. We should often thank God for the 
grace of a vocation to the religious life. 

2. We should remember that the best 
way to show our gratitude- is by leading- 
holy lives according- to the requirements 
of our religious state. 

3. We should realize how unworthily 
they think of the religious state, who say 
that it lays upon them an unbearable 
burden, who therefore feel no contentment 
in the state, to which they have been 
mercifully called, and finally turn their 



186 

backs upon it and become apostates from 
religion. 

4. We should often reflect upon the 
dignity and advantages of the religious 
state, that we may love it sincerely and 
prove our love by the sanctity of our lives, 
by venerating the religious dress and kiss- 
ing it devoutly when we put it on or off, 
by offering one of the canonical hours in 
thanksgiving for our vocation and to ob- 
tain the grace of perseverance, by renew- 
ing our vows frequently and by observing 
the religious discipline even in its most 
minute details. 



-:o:- 



CHAPTER II. 

Religious Perfection. 

§ 1. Essence of Religious Perfection. 

Christian perfection consists in a true 
love of God. But above all these things 
have charity, which is the bond of -per- 
fection. (Col. 3, 14.) Now the end of the 
commandment is cha?'ity. (I. Tim. 1, 5.) 
But the end of the commandment is per- 
fection, hence perfection consists in chari- 
ty. S. Paul expressly says: Love, there- 
fore, is the fulfilling of the law. (Rom. 



187 

13, 10.) S. Thomas says: The perfection 
of man consists in his union with God 
through charity, (Ep. ad Phil. cap. 3. lect. 2.) 
The Fathers as well as all masters of the 
, spiritual life teach the same doctrine. 

When we say that perfection consists in 
charity, we mean habitual charity. How- 
ever, that habit of charity, which is in- 
fused into our souls by the Holy Ghost 
and which is also found in baptized in- 
fants, does not yet constitute the perfection 
of which we now speak. Christian per- 
fection consists rather in the increase and 
development of that infused habit of chari- 
ty, which are gained by the frequent re- 
petition of acts of charity or of other vir- 
tuous acts proceeding- from love of God, 
whereby the will is gradually strengthened 
and rendered prompt in producing* such 
acts when moved and assisted by actual 
grace. 

This is Christian perfection in general, 
from which religious perfection does not 
differ essentially, but only in the means 
employed in developing the habit of chari- 
ty, which are proper to the religious state. 

Practical Inferences: 

1, Religious perfection does not consist 
in great illuminations or ecstatic raptures, 
nor in sweet emotions or spiritual conso- 
lations. Such conditions of the soul often 



188 

do not proceed from or indicate true, in- 
dwelling* charity, but are frequently the 
results of a latent self-complacency or gra- 
tified self-love. They are not the fruits 
of g*enuine charity if we become remiss 
and negligent when we no longer ex- 
perience such sweetness in our spiritual 
exercises or good works. On the contrary, 
the examples of many Saints prove that 
religious perfection is not incompatible 
with spiritual dryness and barrenness. 
Scrupulous and faint-hearted persons should 
bear 'this in mind. The true lover is re- 
cognized in those works, in which self-will 
is mortified and overcome. 

2. Religious perfection does not consist 
in the voluntary chastisement of the body, 
nor in self-denial, nor in austerity of life, 
nor in the desire of suffering adversities 
for God's sake; they are only the effects 
and outward manifestations of charity and 
perfection. But those effeminate persons, 
who shrink from everything that is diffi- 
cult and repugnant to nature, prove thereby 
that they have not even entered upon the 
path of perfection. 

3. Religious perfection does not consist 
in protracted prayers- and exercises; they 
are only the proper and necessary means 
of acquiring perfection. But if they pro- 
ceed from self-will and take the precedence 
over duties imposed upon us by office or 
obedience, they become obstacles in the 



189 

way of perfection and must therefore be 
considered spurious. Obedience is better 
than sacrifices. (I. King's, 15, 22.) 



§ 2. Nature of that Charity which constitutes 
religious Perfection. 

Charity may be perfect in a twofold 
way, intensively or extensively, or, as some 
say, intrinsically and extrinsical^. We 
call charity intensively perfect when it is 
fervid and causes us to practice good works 
with ease, alacrity and pleasure, and it is 
susceptible of many degrees as the fervor 
itself may be more or less intense. Charity 
is called extensively perfect, when it is 
accompanied by. the practice of other vir- 
tues, and the greater the number and per- 
fection of these virtues is, the more perfect 
the extensive or extrinsic charity becomes. 
All charity* whether intensive or extensive, 
even in its lowest degree, is a supernatural 
gift of God. But we would not call a man 
perfect when he possesses charity only in 
a very low degree, for he may then ex- 
perience great difficulty in doing- gx>od, he 
may be subject to many imperfections and 
have many bad habits. Religious perfection 
does not require a charity that is inten- 
sively perfect, but it does demand a chari- 
ty, which is supreme and more or less ex- 
tensively perfect. Who then shall separate 



190 

its from the love of Christ? shall tribula- 
tion? or distress or famine? or nakedness? 
or danger ? or persecittion ? or the sword ? 
(Rom. 8, 35.) This is supreme love. Charity 
is patient, is kind: Charity envieth not, 
dealeth not perversely, is not puffed up, is 
not ambitiozts, seeketh not her own, is not 
provoked to anger, thinketh no evil, re- 
joiceth not in iniqitity, but rejoiceth with 
the truth; beareth all things, believeth all 
things, hopeth all things, endureth all 
things, (I. Cor. 13, 4.-7.) This is charity 
extensively perfect. 



Practical Inferences: 

1. We arrive at religious perfection by 
degrees. In beginners we find a charity, 
which impels them to remove the stains 
of sin by penance and to extirpate bad 
habits by mortification. In those who have 
made considerable progress on the way of 
perfection we find a charity, which urges 
them on to acquire steady alacrity in prac- 
ticing the different virtues. In those who 
have attained a high degree of perfection, 
we find that same charity tending to unite 
them still more closely to God by love, 
which becomes the main-spring of all their 
actions. 

2. Habitual tepidity is incompatible with 
religious perfection and the end of the re- 



191 

ligious state, and is therefore grievously 
sinful. 

3. Persons, who refrain from commit- 
ting* mortal sin, but make little of venial 
sins, and are habitually negligent in re- 
sisting* temptations, are yet far removed 
from perfection. 



-:o:- 



CHAPTBR III. 

Grave Obligation of striving after Perfection. 

§ 1. Whether Religious are required 
to be actually perfect. 

All teachers of ascetic life agree that 
Religious are not required to be actually 
perfect. S. Thomas expressly says: One 
that enters upon the religious life is not 
obliged to have perfect charity, but he ?nust 
endeavor to obtain perfect charity, (2. 2. 
qu. 186. art. 2.) The religious life is only 
a school of perfection. S. Benedict says 
in the preface to the Holy Rule: We intend 
to institute a school of divine service. As 
a student on entering- a school of philoso- 
phy is not expected to be a perfect phi- 
losopher, so also a person, who embraces 
the religious life is not expected to be al- 



192 

ready perfect, but he must strive to become 
perfect, just as the student must endeavor 
to become a g-ood philosopher. Hence S. 
Bernard says: A ceaseless effort and con- 
tinual striving to become perfect is accounted 
perfection. And S. Augustine calls him 
perfect, who strives without intermission 
and without faltering- after perfection. 

Practical Inferences: 

1. It is not the same thing- to be in a 
state of perfection and to be actually per- 
fect. All Religious are in a state of per- 
fection, because by their vows they are 
oblig-ed to tend towards perfection by fol- 
lowing" the evang-elical counsels, whereas 
only those are actually perfect who have 
attained a higii ■ degree of charity accom- 
panied by a proportionate development of 
the other virtues. 

2. Timid and scrupulous persons have no 
cause to feel worried about the fulfillment 
of the oblig-ation of striving* after perfec- 
tion. 

§ 2. Whether Religious are obliged under 

mortal sin to strive after religious 

Perfection. 

An affirmative answer must be given to 
this question for the following- reasons: 

1. It is the teaching- of the Holy Fathers. 
S. Jerome says: For a Religious to be 



193 

perfect in this life is impossible; but for 
him not to strive after perfection is a crime. 
(delinquere est) (Letter to Heliodor.) (The 
* Fathers use the word delinquere only when 
they speak of mortal sin.) S. Caesarius says: 
To go into the desert (to enter the relig- 
ious state) is great perfection; not to live 
perfectly in the desert brings on great dam- 
nation, (horn. 29.) 

2. It is the common opinion of Theolo- 
gians. 

3. It stands to reason. Perfection is the 
end of the religious state and everyone 
who enters this state must strive to obtain 
its end. It is the sum of all obligations 
imposed upon him by his state of life. 
Hence Christ says: If thou wilt be perfect, 
go, sell what thou hast, etc. (Matt. 19, 21.) 
Every Religious is obliged under grievous 
sin to redeem his vows, and consequently 
he is also obliged under mortal sin to strive 
after perfection. S. Bernard says: By our 
religious profession we have promised to 
ascend the heights of perfection. S. Jerome 
says: You have pro?nised a life of perfec- 
tion; you play false to the Lord, if you do 
not become perfect. (Letter to Heliodor.) 

Practical Inferences : 

1. Our striving after perfection must be se- 
rious and efficacious. Hence we must reject 
the fallacies of some, who try to persuade 

13 



194 

themselves that a certain barren intention 
or a listless indifference will suffice, so that 
a Religious need not be worried if he have 
on^v the intention of striving- after perfec- 
tion though he never or rarely actually 
do anything- to attain perfection. 

2. We should endeavor to excite in our- 
selves a spiritual fervor by daily calling* 
to mind the fact, that we have assumed 
such a serious oblig-ation of striving- after 
perfection, and by addressing- to ourselves 
the question, which S. Bernard so often 
asked himself saying-: Bernard, why did 
you come here? 

3. Religious have a grave oblig-ation of 
knowing- not only the end of the religious 
state, but also the means adapted and 
necessary to the attainment of that end. 
Hence, Novices should diligently learn the 
principles of monastic life and put them 
in practice, otherwise their ig-norance will 
be culpable and will consequently not ex- 
cuse them when they shall have made their 
religious profession. 

§ 3. In what the Obligation of tending 
towards Perfection consists. 

The obligation of tending towards per- 
fection requires the Religious constantly to 
use the befitting and necessary means to 
arrive at perfection according to his Rule 
and profession. It is therefore not distinct 



195 

from the obligation of keeping- the vows 
and observing- religious discipline. This 
.is the teaching- of most Theologians. S. 
Thomas says: The religious state is a per- 
severing effort to arrive at perfection, but 
the means of attaining it are not the same 
for all. (2. 2. qu. 186. art. 2.) Towards the 
close of this article he says that a Religious 
need not apply all those means which lead 
to perfection, but he must make use of 
those, which are expressly pointed out by 
the Rule he professes. Christians living 
in the world are oblig-ed to seek the per- 
fection of their respective states in life, 
for to all it is said: Be you therefore per- 
fect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect. 
(Matt. 5, 48.) But people in the world do 
this by keeping" the commandments; hence 
the Religious also fulfills his duty of striv- 
ing" after perfection by keeping his vows 
and his Rule. Otherwise a Religious, when 
he violates his vow, would be guilty of a 
twofold sin, one against his vow, the other 
against perfection, which is not the case. 



Practical Inferences: 

1. Our progress in perfection and per- 
fection itself consists in performing all our 
works and spiritual exercises in a perfect 
manner. The difference between a perfect 
Religious and a tepid Religious does not 



1% 

consist in this that the former does more 
or different thing's, but in this that he 
performs his works and actions more per- 
fectly than the latter. 

2. A Religious is not required to perform 
works of supererogation, but a fervent 
Relig-ious will not content himself with 
doing- only that, which he is bound to do, 
but, like a dutiful child, he will try to 
please God by some extraordinary work of 
his own choosing*, which will indicate the 
intensity of his charity. 

3. A Religious, who observes all that 
belong-s to the substance of his vows, can 
nevertheless not be excused from mortal 
sin, if he is not concerned about the ob- 
servance of the Rule and Statutes of his 
Order and habitually transgresses them. 
He manifests a kind of contempt of his 
Rule and Statutes by his conduct and does 
not apply the means of perfection laid down 
for him, and the natural inference is that 
he is not disposed to seek the end of the 
relig-ious state seriously and efficaciously. 
Moreover, anyone who habitually disre- 
gards his Rule exposes himself to the proxi- 
mate dang-er of violating- his vows in their 
very substance. It is, indeed, the common 
opinion that the Holy Rule does not bind 
under mortal sin, where it does not treat 
of thing's appertaining* to the substance of 
the relig-ious vows or the precepts of natu- 
ral law, but this is understood of single 



197 



items and does not therefore apply to the 
Religious, who habitually disregards his 
entire Rule. 

4. Since this obligation of striving* after 
perfection is essential to the religious state, 
a Religious is bound by it at all times and 
in all places, and no office or dignity will 
exempt him. On the contrary, those who 
are appointed to offices, which require them 
to come in contact with the world, to trans-* 
act business with seculars, to speak with 
persons of the opposite sex, etc., must be 
more on their guard, more solidly grounded 
in virtue, more earnest in striving- after 
perfection than others, who are not exposed 
to so many dangers and distractions. Hence 
Louis de Ponte says that no one should 
be chosen to do pastoral work, who is not 
already perfect or has at least advanced 
far on the way of perfection, which he 
must teach to others. (1. 2. de Christian. 
Horn. Perfect.) 

5. A Religious sins grievously when, by 
his bad example, he induces others to lead 
negligent lives or causes the collapse of 
religious discipline in a community; for in- 
stance, if he should habitually neglect and 
disregard the rule of silence and occasion 
others to do likewise; if he should habitu- 
ally hold private confabs with his confreres 
or seculars; if he should incite others to 
defy their superiors, or encourage them in 



198 

murmuring- against them, or if he should 
sow the seed of discord in the community. 

6. For many reasons the sins of Re- 
ligious are more grievous than the sins 
of seculars. They have more obligations 
to fulfill and greater and more plentiful 
graces and other means at their disposal. 
Hence S. Augustine says: Since I began 
to serve God I have seldom found better 
'men than those that led good lives in mon- 
asteries, but I have also never found zv or se 
men than those who led bad lives in monas- 
teries, (ep. ad. Pleb. Hipp.) 

7. A Religious sins greviously if he fails 
to use the means of perfection for a long* 
time or negiects them entirely. Such means 
are: Meditation, spiritual reading-, exami- 
nation of conscience and others prescribed 
by the Holy Rule. It is not sufficient to 
attend these spiritual exercises from mere 
habit or human respect, without fervor 
and devotion; such negiig-ence is incom- 
patible with a true tendence towards per- 
fection. 

8. Persons who are of a timid and scru- 
pulous disposition should bear in mind that 
a Religious is not required to perform works 
of greater perfection from day to day. All 
that is necessary is to perform the monas- 
tic exercises and daily works in a perfect 
manner, and charity will continually in- 
crease in the soul. 



199 

9. If we do not notice a continual in- 
crease of perfection, especially in the be- 
ginning- of our religious life, we need not 
♦infer that we are making- no progress. 
God sometimes conceals this progress from 
us in order to keep us humble and permits 
us to be assailed by more violent tempta- 
tions in order to induce us to make greater 
exertions. But if a long- time has elapsed 
and we still experience no progress in per- 
fection, the probabilities are that the fault 
lies with us, for God does not deny his 
grace to those who do their utmost. We 
should then subject ourselves to rig-id ex- 
amination to discover the root of the evil. 

10. Religious, who occasionally trans- 
gress a rule, or who, for a time, relent in 
their fervor in attending* to their spiritual 
duties, have no reason to fear that they 
have fallen into mortal sin. But those 
who are habitually lukewarm and careless, 
have cause to fear that charity has become 
extinguished in their souls. 



PART FOURTH, 



The Tripple Way 

or 

Means of attaining Religious Perfection. 

Ascetic writers are wont to distinguish 
three stages or divisions in the way to 
perfection, namely, purgation, illumination 
and union. Virtues, like plants, have their 
beginnings, their growth, and final per- 
fection. In the first stage or division we 
find the beginners in religious life — they 
are the recruits of the army. In the second 
we find those who have completed their 
spiritual apprenticeship — they are the 
drilled soldiers of the army. In the third 
stage we find those, who have attained a 
high degree of perfection in the spiritual 
life — they are the veterans of the army. 
S. Maximus compares those in the first 
stage to servants, those in the second to 
hired laborers, and those in the third to 
children of the household. According to 



201 

S. Thomas, the three stages on the way 
of perfection bear the same relation to 
each other, as childhood, youth and man- 
*hood in the physical life of man. S. Au- 
gustine says: Charity is born through the 
operations of divine mercy ; after it is bom 
it develops and grows strong, and after 
it has grown strong it becomes perfect. 
(Trac. 5. in ep. Joannis.) The first stage 
purifies and perfects the senses, the second 
purifies and perfects reason, the third puri- 
fies and perfects the soul in its higher 
spiritualized faculties. In the first stage 
man tries to know himself, in the second 
he endeavors to know God, and in the 
third he strives to unite himself with God; 
for the entire spiritual life may be reduced 
to these three points — to know oneself, 
to know God and to become one. with God. 
As the fire when it begins to work on 
green wood, first draws out the cold and 
moisture, which are obstacles to its union 
with the wood, then imparts to it heat 
and dryness, which are favorable to com- 
bustion, and finally unites itself to the wood 
and consumes it, so to obtain a union be- 
tween God and the soul all obstacles must 
first be removed (stage of purgation), then 
the soul must be proper!}' disposed (stage 
of illumination) and only then will the 
union be effected. 

In the first stage, we find converted sin- 
ners, who are doing penance for their past 



202 

sins, and struggle manfully not to relapse. 
They are employed in rooting- out bad 
habits and in subduing- their passions. To 
do this they mortify their flesh by fasting*, 
vigils and other works of penance, and by 
tears of compunction they bewail their past 
infidelities and sins. 

In the second stage (illumination) we find 
those who are earnestly battling against 
the world and make strenuous efforts to 
increase in all virtue; for virtue is the 
true light of the soul. They ponder and 
meditate upon their divine Model, Christ, 
and strive to imitate Him in the practice 
of virtue. 

In the third stage (union) those find 
peaceful repose, who have successfully pas- 
sed through the first two stages, have 
conquered the world and gained the mas- 
tery over themselves and now enjoy a union 
with God, which surpasses all understand- 
ing. 

Occasionally God permits those who have 
just entered upon the spiritual life, to 
taste the sweetness of the unitive stage 
for a short time, in order to give them 
courage and confidence when they meet 
temptations or find the practice of virtue 
difficult. On the other hand God allows 
even the most perfect to be assailed by the 
most violent temptations in order to keep 
them humble. 



203 

When the converted sinner tastes the 
sweetness of the spirit then the pleasures 
*of the world and the flesh become insipid 
to him; when the perfect man experiences 
the difficulties of beginners, he will despise 
himself and be impelled to exert himself 
as though he were yet far removed from 
the heights of perfection. Hence the lines 
of demarcation between these three stages 
in the way of perfection are not so sharp 
and defined as to exclude the acts of the 
one from the other; but their names indi- 
cate the predominant and distinctive feat- 
ures, which characterize our progress to- 
wards perfection in its different stages. 

1". Stage of Purgation. 

To those who enter this stage of per- 
fection the Holy Ghost addresses the words: 
Decline from evil. (Ps. 36, 27.) They are 
directed to remove everything that may be 
an obstacle to an ardent and enduring love 
of God. 

The obstacles to charity are: 

1. Sins. A mortal sin is absolutely in- 
compatible with charity even in its lowest 
degree. It turns man away from God, his 
ultimate end. Venial sins are obstacles to 
charity in as much as they diminish its 
fervor and render it less active. 

2. Vices and other bad habits. These 



204 

render man prone to sin and hence are 
obstacles to ardent charity, which implies 
a certain facilit}^ and alacrity in the prac- 
tice of virtue. 

The remed}^ for sin is -penance, the 
remedy for vices and other bad habits is 
mortification. 



-:o: 



CHAPTER I. 

Penance. 

§ 1. Nature of Penance. 

We here treat of the virtue of penance which 
is an essential part of the Sacrament of Penance. 

Penance is a supernatural, moral virtue 
infused into the soul by God inclining* the 
sinner to detest his sins, because by them 
he has offended 'God, and to resolve not 
to sin again and to make atonement for 
his past transgressions. 

True penance therefore requires: 
1. Sorrow- and detestation of sin. A mere 
cessation from sin, or even a change of 
life, is not sufficient. Holy Scriptures speak 
of penance as a voluntary grief and afflic- 
tion of the spirit. And when thou shalt 
seek there the Lord thy God, thou shalt 



205 

-find Him; yet so if thou seek Him with 
all thy heart, and all the affliction of thy 
.soul (Deut. 4, 29.) S. Paul (II. Cor. 7, 10.) 
calls penance Sorrow that is according to 
God. S. Gregory says: To do penance is 
to bewail past sins and not to do again 
what we bewail. Moreover, no one can 
really repent of his sins withont reflecting 
that by them he has lost God and deserved 
hell, or, in case of venial sins, that he 
has offended God and merited severe punish- 
ment, and thus he will feel sorrow and re- 
gret for his sins and hate them with a 
holy aversion. 

2. This sorrow and detestation of our 
sins must proceed from the consideration 
that they are offenses against God. We 
may regret our sins on account of their 
natural hatefulness, as we see it merely 
bj T the light of reason, or we may be sorry 
for them on account of their physical, 
natural effects, e. g. sickness, imprisonment, 
loss of one's good name, etc. ; such sorrow 
is of no avail before God; we must be sorry 
for His sake. It must come from God 
through His grace and lead to God through 
our co-operation from some supernatural 
motive. 

3. An earnest and efficacious purpose of 
amendment. In Holy Scripture we often 
find detestation of the past and a re- 
solution for the future put down as con- 
ditions for the forgiveness of sin. But 



206 

if the wicked do penance for all his 
sins, which he hath committed,, and keep 
all My commandments, and do judgment 
and justice, living he shall live, and not 
die, I will not remember all his iniquities. 
(Ezech. 18, 21. 22.) Moreover, it is evident 
that no one can really be sorry for his 
sins, without resolving* to avoid them in 
future and to use the necessary means 
ag*ainst a relapse. 

4. ^4 -purpose to make atonement. Al- 
though David had heard the prophet Nathan 
say: The Lord also hath taken away thy 
sin, (II. King's, 12, 13.) yet he did not 
cease to bewail his sin and to do peneten- 
tial works to make satisfaction for it to 
God. S. Cyprian says: Do not imagine 
that God is so easily appeased and extends 
complete forgiveness; -we must pray, we 
must do good works to wash away the guilt 
and punishment of our sins. 

The Holy Fathers call penance a labori- 
ous baptism, and the Council of Trent 
(sess. 14. c. 2.) tells us that it is utterly 
impossible for sinners to reg-ain their former 
state of justice and rig-hteousness, even 
throug-h the sacrament of Penance, with- 
out fervent tears and great penitential 
works, because the justice of God demands 
them. Hence we find that in the early 
centuries the Church enjoined very severe 
penances, especially upon public sinners. 



207 

Inference : 

By its fruit we must judge whether 
our penance is genuine or spurious. The 
fruit of true penance is an enduring- change 
of life. It causes us to change our per- 
verse judgments, our false opinions, our 
carnal affections and our sinful actions. 
It uproots pride and implants humility; it 
substitutes a custody of the senses, recol- 
lection and compunction of heart for curi- 
osity and gratification of the senses; it 
takes away the desire of frivolous com- 
panionship and. instils a love of solitude; 
it removes laziness and listlessness and 
imparts an active love of spiritual things; 
it declares relentless war on gluttony and 
lust and prescribes moderation, self-denial 
and mortifications of the flesh. 

A penance that does not produce these 
fruits is spurious. We find many sinners 
whose life is a continual see-saw between 
sin and repentance. Well has S. August- 
ine said: That -penance is vain which wal- 
lows again in the same mire; it is useless 
to bewail our sins as long as we continue 
to multiply them; it is useless to crave par- 
don for our offenses whilst we continue to 
insiclt God. Such persons prove by their 
very actions that their grief and sorrow 
has not penetrated to the heart. They 
mock Gok but do no penance. 



208 

§ 2. Necessity of Penance. 

The penance spoken of in the preceding- 
paragraph is called internal and consists 
in sorrow for sin in as much as it is an 
offense ag-ainst God, and in a resolve to 
sin no more and make atonement. There 
is also another penance which is called ex- 
ternal. This consists in penitential works, 
which may be self-imposed or enjoined by 
the confessor in the tribunal of penance. 
Internal penance, i. e. sorroio, is absolutely 
necessary to reg-ain the state of grace after 
we have lost it b}^ personal sins, and in- 
cludes at least the will to perform the ex- 
ternal penance. 

Our Lord said: Unless yon shall do pen- 
ance, you shall all likewise perish, (Luke 
13, 3.) and the Council of Trent says: 
This sorrow was at all times necessary to 
obtain forgiveness of sin. And, indeed, as 
long- as man does not regret his sinful 
action or omission, which separated him 
from God, he tacitly approves of it, he ad- 
heres to it, and therefore keeps up the 
barrier between himself and God. 

A person, who is in the state of mortal 
sin, is obliged to repent of his sin, when- 
ever he is in probable dang-er of death, 
before he administers or receives any sa- 
crament and even apart from these cases 
he can not defer his contrition a very long* 
time without sin. To continue for a long* 



209 

time in sin without repentance is almost 
equivalent to defying- God, and exposes the 
sinner to the dang-er of committing- other 
grievous offenses. Hence the Lord says: 
Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and 
defer it not from day to day, for His zvrath 
shall come on a sudden, and in the ti?ne of 
vengeance He will destroy thee, (Eccli. 5, 
8. 9.) The Prophet says: Seek ye the Lord 
while He may be found: call upon Him 
while He is near. (Is. 55, 5.) 

' These admonitions and exhortations are 
addressed to all Christians, but naturally 
apply with special force to Religious, be- 
cause their profession requires them to lead 
a life of penance and to make atonement 
to God for their own and others' sins. 

§ 3. Kinds of Penitential Works. 

Faith teaches that after the g-uilt of sin 
has been remitted there often remains a 
temporal punishment due to it, for which 
satisfaction must be made during life or 
in Purgatory. This satisfation is made by 
w^orks of penance volutarily performed with 
the intention of appeasing- the ang-er of 
God. All satisfactory works may be re- 
duced to Prayer, Fasting and Alms-deeds, 
Prayer includes all works and acts of di- 
vine worship; fasting- includes every thing- 
that appertains to mortification; and all 
works of mercy, whether spiritual or cor- 

14 



210 

poral, are comprised in alms-deeds. But 
not only by positive works of a penitential 
nature, but also by suffering- with patience 
and resignation, satisfaction may be made 
to the justice of God. Hence the Council 
of- Trent teaches: (sess. 14, c. 9.) So great 
is the goodness and bounty of God that we 
a7'e enabled to make atonement to the Father 
through Jesus Christ not only by self-im- 
posed penances or penitential works enjoined 
by the confessor acco?'ding to the measure 
of 'our offenses, but also by temporal chas- 
tisements sent by God and patiently endured 
by us; this is the greatest proof of His love 
to us. 

The sacramental Penance is intended as 
a compensation, at least in part, for the 
temporal punishment yet due to sin after 
its guilt has been forgiven. Hence the 
Council of Trent (sess. 14. c. 8.) directs 
confessors to impose penances proportionate 
to the sins for which it is enjoined. It 
cautions them not to be too lenient, not 
to impose slight penances for most griev- 
ous sins, lest they make themselves acces- 
sory to the sins of others. 

In the early centuries the Church was 
more severe in her penitential discipline 
than she is to-day. Charity has grown 
cold in the hearts of many and hence the 
public canonical penances of more fervent 
ages are almost unknown. Nevertheless 
the natural obligation of making atone- 



211 

ment to God for our sins remains great 
and certain as ever. 



§ 4. Motives of Penance. 

The first motive or reason why we should 
practice penance is the grievousness of 
mortal sin. 

Mortal sin, so called because it kills the 
soul by depriving- it of its supernatural 
life of grace, is a willful transgression of 
a law of God in a grave matter. It is the 
greatest conceivable evil in itself as well 
as in its effects. 

1. /;/ itself. Mortal sin is a fully de- 
liberate transgression of the law of God. 
Man, a mere worm of the earth, rebels 
against God, proud and haugiity he stands 
before his Maker and declares to His face: 
I will not serve. (Jer. 2, 20.) Man dares to 
criticise the Eternal Lawgiver and refuses 
obedience. He turns his back upon God 
and gives his heart to creatures. Mortal 
sin is the blackest ingratitude. How many 
and how great are the graces, favors and 
blessings bestowed upon man by God in 
his creation, redemption and sanctification! 
But the sinner does not appreciate them, 
he is utterly unmindful of them. Mortal 
sin is perfidy and treason. The pligiited 
word given in Baptism is broken and set 
at naugiit. It is inconceivable insanity 



212 

or unbearable malice, because the sinner 
loves that which alone he should hate, he 
hates that which alone he should love. 
The malice of mortal sin is infinite because 
it is measured by the dignity of Him 
against Whom it is committed, Who is the 
Infinite God. 

2. In its effects. By mortal sin man loses 
inestimable treasures. He loses sanctify- 
ing- grace; he loses the child-ship of God 
and becomes a child of the devil; he loses 
the power of performing - works strictly 
meritorious; he loses all his previously 
gained merits; he loses his right to the 
heavenly inheritance. But if the just man 
turn himself azvay from his justice, and do 

iniquity all his justices which he had 

done, shall not be remembered. (Ezech. 18, 
24.) . 

Behold, then, the wreck brought on by 
one mortal sin! What a change it has 
wrought! The friend of God has become 
the slave of the devil; the worm of con- 
science is born and begins to gnaw within 
the sinner's bosom; the heir of heaven has 
entered upon the high-way to hell, with 
no power of his own to retrace his steps. 
Should death, which comes like a thief in 
the night, overtake him on this high-way 
his doom would be sealed for ever. 

Since the malice of mortal sin is infinite, 
because it is measured by the infinite dig- 
nity of God, against Whom it is committed, 



213 

and since all purely human satisfaction is 
finite, because it is measured by the dignity 
of man, which is finite, it follows that the 
aggregate of all penitential works all men 
that have been or shall be, would not be 
able to blot out one single mortal sin or 
to make adequate satisfaction for it. But 
God decreed to exact full reparation for 
the sins of mankind, and hence only a Di- 
vine Person was capable of making atone- 
ment for the sins of the world. 

We should often and seriously reflect on 
the intrinsic gravity and the terrible effects 
of mortal sin, in order to intensify our sor- 
row for it and to strenghten our resolution 
to avoid it in future. But we must not 
allow^ these considerations to carry us to 
the opposite extreme of despondency and 
despair. As soon as we have realized the 
shamefulness and heinousness of our fall 
we should call to mind the goodness and 
mercy of God, and say to Him with S. 
Augustine: "Lord, I have done that for 
which Thou canst damn ?ne, yet Thou hast 
not lost that by which Thou canst save me" 

The second motive or reason for penance 
is the gravity of venial sins. 

When we compare venial sins with mor- 
tal sins we rightly call them light and 
small, for they do not utterly turn us away 
from God, they do not deprive us of charity 
and sanctifying grace nor of our right to 



214 

the heavenly inheritance. However, next 
to mortal sin, venial sin is the greatest 
evil that can befall us, and hence we should 
flee from it as we would from a venomous 
serpent in our path. All physical evils, 
even death itself, can not be compared to 
the evil of one venial sin. The heathen 
philosopher Aristotle already said: "It is 
better to die than to do anything against 
the good of virtue" 

Venial sin is an offense ag-ainst God. 
But the least offense ag-ainst God is in- 
comparably greater than the ag-greg-ate of 
all other evils that can befall creatures. 
Hence if we could save the whole world 
by the commission of the least venial sin 
we would still not be justified in commit- 
ting- it. So great is the malice of even 
the least venial sin that all mankind could 
not make full atonement for it; only the 
blood of Christ can wash it away. As 
those who sin mortally crucify again to 
themselves the Son of God and make Him 
a mockery, so those who commit venial 
sins aug-ment the suffering's of Christ. 

Let us also judg-e of the gravity of venial 
sin from its effects. 

1. It infects our best and holiest actions 
and often deprives them of all merit. Even 
martyrdom, says S. Jerome, if undergone 
from a desire of gaining the admiration 
or praise of our fellow men, is of no account. 



215 

And Christ Himself says: Take heed, that 
you do not your justice before men, to be 
seen by them: otherwise you shall not have 
a reward from your Father Who is in 
heaven. (Matt. 6, 1.) 

2. Venial sins diminish the fervor of 
charity. They make us languid in the serv- 
ice of God, cause us to become disgusted 
with spiritual things, by degrees develop a 
habitual tepidity and lukewarmness, which 
is so nauseating to God. Because thou art 
lukewarm I will begin to spit thee out of 
My mouth. (Apoc. 3, 16.) 

3. Venial sins are obstructions in the 
channels of divine graces; they cause God 
to withdraw Himself from us as we may 
have learned by our own experience. 

4. Venial sins, although they do not 
deprive a man of sanctifying grace and 
the habit of charity, nevertheless render 
him filthy and detestable in the sight of 
God. S. Catherine of Genoa said that she 
would rather be thrown alive into a fiery 
furnace, S. Anselm that he would rather 
be precipitated into hell, S. Chrysostom 
that he would rather be possessed by a 
devil than to be defiled by a venial sin. 

5. Venial sins prepare the way for mortal 
sins. He that contemneth small things, shall 
fall by little and little. (Eccli. 19, 1. ) If 
we make light of venial sins, temptations 
gradually increase, our bad habits gain 



216 

strength, we become spiritually weaker 
because the measure of our graces is di- 
minished, we come nearer and nearer to 
the edg-e of the precipice and then we are 
assailed by some vehement temptations and 
we fall. Even then we are not alarmed 
because our conscience has been rendered 
insensible and callous by venial sins and 
now fails to report promptly the mortal 
sin into which we have fallen. But when 
it shall awake from its lethargy it will 
reproach us bitterly and we will then ex- 
perience the truth of the words of the 
Prophet: Know thou, and see that it is an 
evil and bitter thing for thee to haze left 
the Lord thy God.\SeT. 2. 19.) 

6. Every venial sin will be severely pun- 
ished in this life or in the flames of pur- 
gatory, of which S. Caesarius says: That 
purging fire is more severe than anything 
we can see. feci or imagine in this world. 
And S. Aug-ustine: Although this fire is 
not eternal it is nevertheless excruciating 
bexond conception: its torments are greater 
than anything that man can suffer in this 
world. (Ser. on the Fire of Purg\) S. Cyril 
(ep. ad Aug-ust.) says: The torments of hell 
and of purgatory are equally great : they 
differ only in this, that those of hell are 
eternal in their duration, w he reus those op 
purgatory will come to cm end. 

These, then, are the doleful effects of 
venial sins! But why do we make so little 



217 

of them that we drink them in like water? 
It is because we seldom seriously reflect 
upon their heinousness and consequences 
and because we do not earnestly strive to 
subdue our inordinate passions. 

In order, therefore, to avoid venial sins 
let us 

1. often think of all that has been said 
in this paragraph; 

2. make our daily examinations of con- 
science, the particular as well as the gen- 
eral ; 

3. be always on our guard and keep a 
strict watch over our senses; 

4. resist promptly and manfully when 
we are tempted; 

5. pray with humility and fervor; 

6. think of the last things, for it is said: 
In all thy works remember thy last end, 
and thou shalt never sin. (Eccli. 7, 40.) 



-:o:- 



CHAPTBR II. 

Mortification. 

It is not sufficient for us to repent of 
our sins and to regain the state of grace. 
We must lay the axe to the root of our 
spiritual disorder; we must subdue our sin- 



218 

ful habits, because they expose us to many 
great dangers of losing- charity, or at least 
hinder our progress to perfection to a very 
great extent. Hence beg-inners must make 
it their object to remove sin, which is the 
main obstacle to perfection and crucify the 
flesh with all its vices and concupiscences. 
(Gal. 5, 24.) 



ARTICLE I. 

Mortification in General. 

§ 1. Nature of Mortification. 

As natural death deprives man of his 
natural life, so mortification deprives him 
of that sensual life which is contrary to 
the precepts of morality. Hence, mortifi- 
cation is a holy violence by which we 
compel ourselves to do or to suffer w^hat 
our perverse nature abhors, or to abstain 
from thing-s that are agreeable to it. The 
object of mortification is to re-establish 
that perfect subjection of the flesh to the 
spirit and of the spirit to God, which we 
lost throug-h original sin. We are not ex- 
pected to annihilate our passions; the}^ are 
not bad in themselves. They are the na- 
tural results of our nature of which God 
is the author; but we must bring* them 
into subjection and direct them properly. 



219 
§ 2. Division of Mortification. 

Man is a rational animal; hence we 
speak of the spiritual and animal parts 
of man, the inner man and the outer man. 
Will, memor}^ and understanding- constitute 
the spiritual or inner man; the body with 
its five senses constitutes the animal or 
outer man. 

By original sin the entire man deterio- 
rated, he was weakened and made prone 
to sin in body and soul. Hence two kinds 
of mortification have become necessary — 
the internal, which subjects the will and 
intellect to the law of God; and the ex- 
ternal, which keeps the senses in check 
and subjugates them to reason. 

Mortification may be either active or 
passive. It is active when we voluntarily 
do violence to ourselves by self-imposed 
penances or other positive acts of self-de- 
nial. It is passive when we bear with 
resignation the adversities, molestations 
and suffering's, which God permits to fall 
upon us or which others impose upon us. 

§ 3. Necessity of Mortification. 

The necessity of mortification is incul- 
cated: 

1. By holy Scripture. Go not after thy 
lusts, but turn away from thy own will. 
(Eccli. 18, 30.) If any man will come after 



220 

Me, let him take up his cross daily and 
follow Me. (Luke 9, 23.) Brethren, we are 
not debtors to the flesh, to live according 
to the flesh. For if you live according to 
the flesh you shall die: but if by the spirit, 
you mortify the deeds of the flesh you shall 
live. (Rom. 8, 12.) (See also Matt. 11, 12. 
and Col. 3, 5.) 

2. By the Fathers. The whole life of a 
Christian, if he lives according to the Gos- 
pel, is a c?'oss and a martyrdom. (S. Au- 
gustine.) This is the work which we have 
to perform in this life, to mortify, punish, 
weaken, subdue and exterminate the deeds 
of the flesh by the power of the spirit. 
This is our purpose in life, this is our 
warfare. (S. Climacus.) 

3. By the example of Christ and the 
Saints. The whole life of Christ was made 
up of uninterrupted mortifications; but 
those whom God foreknew He predestined 
to be made conformable to the image of 
His Son. (Rom. 8, 29.) For if we be dead ' 
with Him, we shall live also with Him; 
if zee suffer, we shall also reign with Him. 
(II. Tim. 2, 11. 12.) All the Saints have 
imitated the example of S. Paul, who says 
of himself: / chastise my body, and bring 
it into subjection, lest, perhaps, when I have 
preached to others, I myself should become 
a reprobate. (1. Cor. 9, 27.) 

4. By reason. Surely nothing can be 
more natural and necessary than that the 



221 

inferior part of man should be subject to 
the superior part, i. e. that the sensual 
appetite should be regulated by reason. 
S. Bernard says: // is an inversion of right 
order that the mistress should serve the hand- 
maid and the handmaid should do?nineer 
over the mistress; so also is it contrary to 
sound reason that the inferior fart of man 
should not only refuse submission to the 
superior but even exercise despotic rule 
over it. 

The principle reason why mortification 
is so very necessary, is found in the utter 
depravity of the sensual appetites of man. 
The imagination and thought of marts heart 
are prone to evil from his youth. (Gen. 8, 
21.) The flesh lusteth against the spirit. 
(Gal. 5, 17.) Our own daily experience bears 
witness to the truth of these inspired words. 
Then, too, so many bad habits that we 
have contracted in the world, the loose 
maxims and bad examples of others and 
the continual efforts of the devil to en- 
snare us, imperatively demand that we 
exercise a careful watchfulness over our- 
selves by the practice of self-denial and 
mortification. We can not reasonably ex- 
pect to arrive at perfection by the con- 
scientious observance of our vows and Rule, 
unless we first remove the obstacles to this 
observance, namely, the inordinate desires 
for honors, riches, pleasures, etc. We will 
never be able to obey our superiors with 



222 

humility in all things unless we shall have 
learned to renounce our own will and judg- 
ment. Hence mortification is absolutely 
necessary, especially to Religious. 



§ 4. Fruits of Mortification. 

The fruits of mortification are manifold 
and great. 

1. It brings peace and tranquillity to the 
soul. All our perturbation and restless- 
ness are the results of our rebellious con- 
cupiscence and the inordinate passions 
arising from it. Our own conscience tells 
us so, and, if we observe those who are 
given to ambition, envy, quarrelling, anger 
or sins of the flesh, we can not doubt of 
the truth of the assertion. But if the 
cause ceases to exist the effects no longer 
appear. Whensoever a man desires any- 
thing inordinately, he is presently disquieted 

within himself but if he has attained 

his inclinations, he is pi'esently sad, because 

his conscience accuses him It is by 

resisting our passions that we are to fnd 
true peace of heart, and not by being slaves 
to them. (Imit. of Ch. B. I. c. 6.) Whosoever 
has gained a perfect mastery over himself, 
will in all adversities and temptations be 
able to say with the Prophet: If armies 
in camp should stand together against me, 
my heart shall not fear. (Ps. 26, 3.) 



223 

2. Mortification makes the practice of 
virtue easy, because it removes trie obsta- 
cles to virtue. A truly mortified man en- 
counters few temptations, because he avoids 
their proximate and remote occasions, and 
when they do arise he easily gains the 
victory over them because he is well drilled 
in resisting- his evil inclinations. Whoso- 
ever denies himself thing's that are lawful, 
will easily abstain from thing's that are 
forbidden. Hence the Imitation of Christ 
says: The greater violence thou offer est to 
thyself, the greater progress thou wilt make. 
(B. I. c. 25.) 

3. Mortification regulates the outer man. 
When the will is properly disposed the 
outward actions will also conform them- 
selves to the rules of propriety and the 
requirements of virtue, on account of the 
close union of body and soul and their 
natural influence and dependence upon each 
other. Then our whole exterior deport- 
ment will reflect the happy peacefulness 
of our souls and others will be edified by 
our virtuous lives. We will fulfill the in- 
junction of Christ: Let your loins be girt 
and lamps burn in your hands. (Luke 12, 
35.) 

S. Gregory says: We hold burning lamfs 
in our hands when we show the light of 
good works to others. The force of exam- 
ple is great. What admonitions, medita- 
tions, etc. fail to accomplish in a refrac- 



224 

tory Religious, the good example of a 
confrere often effects without difficulty. 
This g-ood example should be shown par- 
ticularly by superiors, confessors and those 
who are commissioned to preach the Gospel, 
lest there be g-ood reason to say of them: 
They say and do not, (Matt. 23, 3.) and 
Physician heal thyself, (Luke 4, 23.) 



ARTICLE II. 

Mortification in Particular. 

A. Interior Mortification. 

§ 1. Mortification of the Intellect. 

The will is a blind faculty and depends 
upon the intellect for lig-ht. It can take 
action* only on thing's submitted to it by 
the intellect; hence, if the intellect is dis- 
ordered the will also becomes disordered, 
and if the will is disordered the faculties 
that execute the commands of the will, 
also become disordered. 

The principal vices of the intellect are: 
Curiosity, Temerity and Pertinacity \ 

1. Curiosity or inquisitiveness causes us 
to inquire into truths that are beyond the 
sphere of human knowledg-e and understand- 
ing*. It is a prolific source of temptations 
and sins ag-ainst faith, and the Holy Ghost 



225 

puts us on our guard against it saying: 
Seek not the things that are too high for 
thee, and search not into things above thy 
ability ; but the things that God hath com- 
manded thee, think on them always, and 
in many of His works be not curious; for 
it is not necessary for thee to see with the 
eyes those things that a?'e hid. In unneces- 
sary things be not over-carious, and in many 
of His works thou shall not be inquisitive. 
For ?nany things are shown to thee above 
the understanding of men. And the sus- 
picion of them hath deceived many, and 
hath detained their minds in vanity. (Kccli. 
4, 22.-26.) 

This vice of curiosity also causes us to 
observe the doings of our confreres and 
superiors with a spirit of unfriendly criti- 
cism and engenders many rash judgments. 

2. Temerity or censoriousness causes us 
to sit in judginent over the lives, manners 
and actions of others and to violate the 
first law of fraternal charity, which re- 
quires us to do unto others as we would 
have others do unto us. We have not been 
appointed judges over our fellow men, and 
if we nevertheless judge them, we show 
that we are worse than those whom we 
judge, because we usurp a power, which 
God has reserved to Himself, fudge not, 
and you shall not be judged. (Luke 6, 37.) 

The judgments, which we pass on others, 
are often the unintentional confessions of 

15 



226 

our own iniquity. Thou art inexcusable, 
O man whosoever thou art that judgest. 
For wherein thou judgest another, thou 
condemnest thyself: for thou dost the same 
things which thou judgest. (Rom. 2, 1.) 

We should therefore mortify our judg- 
ment and always intepret the words and 
actions of others in a spirit of charity. 
Whatever we see or hear, let us think that 
it is done or said with a good intention, 
even if it should appear otherwise. (S. Ber- 
nard.) If the evil is so manifest, that it 
cannot be explained away, then sympathize 
with the frailty of your fellow man and 
be on }^our g-uard for your own safety. 
He that thinketh himself to stand, let him 
take heed lest he fall. (I. Cor. 10, 12.) If 
God should withdraw His graces from you, 
you would be the greatest of all sinners. 
3. Pertinacity or obstinacy causes us to 
hold and defend our own opinions with 
stubborness. It is the daug-hter of pride. 
This vice exposes those who are given to 
if, to great dang-ers. It is a veritable pest 
in a community, because it incites to fac- 
tions and strife; it is the lash of superiors 
and confreres. // is like the sin of witch- 
craft, to rebel; and like the crime of idola- 
try, to refuse to obey. (I. King-s 15, 23.) 

Practice: 

1. Dismiss without delay all thoug-hts that 
are foreign to the state of life you profess 



227 

— thoughts of home, parents and friends. 
Try to forget the things }^ou may have 
'seen in the world. Do not worry about 
what may be in store for you, about meals, 
recreations, duties, etc. Pray every day 
for your parents and friends, as for the 
rest let the dead bury their dead. We 
have left the world not only in body, but 
by our profession we have severed all ties 
with the world. 

2. In reading papers and periodicals, even 
of a religious character, be careful not to 
store the mind with dangerous matter. Do 
not read for mere pastime or from curiosity, 
especially if you should thereby neglect 
your spiritual reading or useful study. 

3. Do not be hasty in forming your 
judgment or in expressing your opinion; 
say with modesty what you have to say 
and then yield to others. 

4. Do not meddle in affairs that do not 
concern you, and especially do not examine 
and criticise the actions and directions of 
your superiors. What is it to you? They 
are responsible to God and not to you. 

5. Do not be anxious to hear news, re- 
ceive letters, etc. 

§ 2. Mortification of Self-will and Self-love. 

I call that self-will which is not common 
to God and our fellow-men but our own 
only, and prompts us to do what we desire 



228 

for our own sake without regard for the 
honor of God or the interest of our 
brethren. (S. Bernard.) A Religious can 
have no will of his own. By his vow of 
obedience he has placed himself with all 
his faculties, endowments and attainments 
at the disposal of his superiors. Hence 
S. Benedict in his Rule numbers among 
the Instruments of good works: To hate 
one^s own will. Self-will and self-love are 
the roots of all sin. Do away with self- 
will and there will be no hell. (S. Bernard 
serm. 3, de Resurr. Dom.) As the greatest 
good of man consists in the love of God, 
so the greatest evil of man consists in the 
inordinate love of himself . (S. Augustine.) 
Through original sin our will has be- 
come depraved; we are inclined to evil 
and almost naturally tend towards things 
that are forbidden. We should therefore 
strive to put into practice the salutary 
admonition of God: Go not after thy lusts, 
but turn away from thy own will. If thou 
give to thy soul her desires, she will make 
thee a joy to thy enemies. (Eccli. 18, 30. 31.) 

Hence it is necessary to mortify self-will 
by withdrawing it from all inordinate love 
of self or other creatures. He that hateth 
his life in this world, keefeth it unto life 
eternal. (John 12, 25.) 



229 
Signs of Self-will. 

1. To do onl}^ those things promptly and 
cheerfully which are agreeable to us, and 
to grow tired of other things. 

2. To love exceptional and peculiar things, 
and to be languid and indifferent in the 
common exercises of the community. 

3. To find difficulty in submitting to 
the will of the superior or in accommodat- 
ing oneself to others. 

4. To grow indignant or to murmur at 
the admonitions or corrections given by 
the superior. 

5. To ask exemptions from common bur- 
dens and to shove disagreeable duties upon 
others. 

6. To extort w^ith importunity from su- 
periors what we want, and to shun poverty 
and common-place things. 

7. To desire a change of monastery, 
office, occupation, etc. on account of diffi- 
culties, inconveniences, etc. or on account 
of the w^ay we are treated by our superiors 
or confreres. 

8. To insist on getting privileges, va- 
cations, excursions, etc. and to instigate 
others to do likewise. 

9. To foster and cultivate private friend- 
ships. 



230 

Practice: 

1. Do nothing-, omit nothing", refuse noth- 
ing without the explicit, implicit or pru- 
dently presumed permisson of your superior. 

Unless you be converted, and become as 
little children, you shall not enter into the 
kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 18, 3.) God re- 
jects our works, no difference how g-ood 
and great they ma} 1 - be in themselves, if 
He finds them tainted with self-will or 
self-love. 

2. Observe the order of the day and all 
other reg-ulations laid down by your su- 
periors as thoug-h they were given by God 
Himself. 

3. Never do anything- because it is pleas- 
ing or agreeable to yourself, but because 
it is the will of God. 

4. Do not desire that thing's shape them- 
selves according- to your human desires. 

5. Be unselfish in all your actions and 
desire nothing* but that God be glorified 
in all things. 

§ 3. Mortification of the Memory; 

It is the office of the memory to receive 
and store away ideas or impressions of 
external things produced in the soul by 
the senses, and to present them again to 
the mind in due time. The mind is like 
a mill, it grinds up everything- that the 



231 

memory supplies, whether good or bad. 
.Hence arises the necessity of mortifying* 
the memory by restraining- it from storing 
awa}^ and reproducing- useless, dangerous 
and hurtful representations and compelling 
it to make an effort to remember useful 
and necessary things. 

Practice: 

1. Do not allow your fancy to dwell 
upon vain and useless things. 

2. Do not engage in building air-castles, 
think not of honors and riches that might 
have been yours had you remained in the 
world, but let your memory forget the 
world and all worldly things. 

3. Do not recall to mind the sins of 
your past life, after you have worthily 
confessed them, except in a general way 
to keep you humble. To recall the details 
of sins committed, especially against holy 
purity, is often accompanied with great 
danger. 

4. Do not allow the memory to suggest 
distracting thoughts regarding your official 
duties, in time of prayer or other devo- 
tional exercises. 

5. Do not allow your memory to remind 
you of injuries received from others. 

6. Often recall the good resolutions you 
made in your morning's meditation. 



232 

7. Keep the remembrance of the presence 
of God always fresh in your memory. 

§ 4. Mortification of Unruly Passions. 

A passion is nothing- else than a strong- 
inclination or aversion to anything-. It is 
unruly when it draws us to thing's that 
are evil or withdraws us from thing-s that 
are g-ood. 

Unruly passions deprive us of peace of 
soul; they make us unsteady in doing- g"ood, 
they stifle virtue and tend to precipitate 
us into all kinds of sins. Hence, unless 
we mortify our passions and bring- them 
into subjection by reason and grace, we 
need not expect much progress in Christian 
and relig-ious perfection. The habit and 
the tonsure contribute little; it is a change 
of manners and e7itire mortification of the 
passions that ?nake a true Religious. (Imit. 
of Ch. B. I. c. 17.) 

The mortification of our passions con- 
sists in an earnest and persevering- en- 
deavor to seek or avoid in all our actions, 
internal and external, only those things, 
which reason enlig-htened by grace directs 
us to seek or avoid. To make this endeavor 
efficacious and meritorious it must be vir- 
tuous, i. e., it must be actuated by a desire 
to preserve and aug-ment the virtues, which 
God has infused into the soul, especially 
charity, which is the queen of all virtues. 



233 

Practice: 

1. Make your daily meditation, spiritual 
reading", both examinations of conscience 
faithfully and conscientiously in order that 
you may realize the hideousness of your 
unruly passions and discover their roots 
and disastrous effects and find the best 
means of subduing- them. 

2. Often during- the day exercise those 
virtues, which are directly opposed to the 
passions, which g*ive you special annoyance. 

3. Keep a careful look-out for the oc- 
casions and avoid them if possible, or arm 
yourself ag-ainst them when you cannot 
escape them. They are less dang-erous 
when they find us prepared. 

4. Resist instantly; medicine is of no 
avail when the disease has had time to 
make fatal inroads upon the s}^stem. 

5. Make sincere manifestations to your 
spiritual physician and director, and re- 
ligiously follow out his instructions. 

6. Distrust yourself and place unbounded 
confidence in God. By humble prayer, by 
the frequent and worthy reception of the 
Sacraments and through the intercession 
of the Saints you will obtain graces amply 
sufficient to resist all temptations. 

§ 5. Mortification of Human Eespect. 

Human respect is an inordinate desire 
of pleasing- others or an abject, ig-noble 



234 

fear of offending- them. Its tendency is to 
make us do or omit many thing's in order 
to g-ain the favor or evade the displeasure 
of others. It is the offspring- of pride, 
which loves to be esteemed and hates to 
be despised. 

1. Human respect is an insult to God, 
because by it we show that we fear men 
more than God, that we prize their g-ood 
opinion more than the friendship of God. 
Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of 
this world, becometh an enemy of God. 
(James 4, 4.) Do I seek to please men? If 
I yet pleased men I should not be the serv- 
ant of Christ. (Gal. 1, 10.) No man can 
serve two masters. (Matt. 6, 24.) 

2. Human respect is very injurious to 
man. In relig-ious communities its effects 
are particularly pernicious. A Relig-ious, 
who is infected with this disease, is apt 
to transgress all rules of monastic disci- 
pline, to be ashamed to be g*ood, to dread 
the frowns and scowls of his wayward 
confreres. He that feareth man shall quickly 

fall. (Prov. 29, 25.) 

3. Human respect corrupts all our works, 
however g-ood and holy they may be in 
themselves, because the}^ are performed 
from an impure, selfish motive. It is in- 
compatible with solid virtue. The man 
who acts from human respect is like a 
reed shaken with every wind; he is ashamed 



235 

to declare, himself openly for God, and the 
Son of God will be ashamed to acknowledge 
him before His Father, Who is in heaven. 
* He will not enjoy peace of soul, because 
he is always in dread lest he lose the es- 
timation of others; whereas He who covets 
not to -please men and fears not their dis- 
pleasure shall enjoy much peace. (Imit. of 
Ch. B. III. c. 28.) 

Practice: 

1. Look to God alone and do not care, 
much lest inquire, what others, even su- 
periors, think of you. If you do what is 
right }^ou will have no reason to fear 
anyone. 

2. Be not disturbed or actuated by the 
sarcasms, taunts or criticisms, by which 
the world ridicules the manner of life you 
have chosen. 

3. Be not led astray by the lax princi- 
ples and maxims of your less fervent breth- 
ren, but follow your Rule, your Statutes 
and the examples of the Saints even in 
the smallest things. 

4. Flatter no man, have no particular 
friendship, and be not vilely subservient 
to anyone. 

5. Practice humility; then you will not 
care if others have a lowly opinion of }^ou. 



236 

B. Exterior Mortification. 

§ 1. Mortification of the Sense of Sight. 

The sight is the most dangerous of all 
the senses, it produces much more vivid 
representations in us than any of the other 
senses. What is created more wicked than 
the eye? (Eccli. 31, 15.) The wounds in- 
flicted upon the soul by unguarded glances, 
begin to fester many years after they are 
received; the representations revive and be- 
come the well-springs of the most vehement 
temptations. We have an axample of this 
in the life of S. Benedict. Idle thoughts, 
distractions, rash judgments, bad desires 
are the fruits of a curious and unguarded 
eye. 

Practice: 

1. Never look upon those parts of the 
body, which modesty should hide from 
view. 

2. Do not gaze upon the face of a person 
of the opposite sex, especially if that per- 
son be young and handsome. Gaze not 
upon a maiden lest her beauty be a stum- 
bling block to thee. (Eccli. 9, 5.) The gazing' 
upon women is an arrow steeped in poison, 
which wounds the soul and instils the poi- 
son, and the longer it continues the more 
putrid the wound becomes. (S. Nilus.) 

3. Turn your eyes away from the rich 
and fastidious attire of women. 



237 

4. Do not g-aze upon, fondle or caress 
children, even of your own sex, especially 
if they be comely or beautiful. 

5. Guard your e}^es in choir, in church, 
on your walks, in fact, wheresoever you 
ma}- be. 

6. Often withhold your eyes from look- 
ing- upon thing's that are not dang-erous, 
but quite innocent; do this especially when 
} 7 ou feel a strong- impulse to feast your 
eyes upon such thing's. 

7. When you look upon indifferent thing-s, 
try to make some useful reflection, e. g\, 
when you see the beauties of nature, think 
of the eternal beauty of their Creator. 

§ 2. Mortification of the Sense of Hearing. 

Unless we mortify the sense of hearing* 
the mind will be filled with numberless 
distracting- thoug-hts, which will disturb 
us in our prayers; our passions will be 
aroused and we will readily become par- 
takers in the sins of -others, especially in 
the sin of detraction. Hence the admo- 
nition of the Lord: Hedge in thy ears 
with thorns, hear not a wicked tongue, 
(Eccli. 28, 28.) and S. Benedict in his Holy 
Rule (chap. 67.) says: Let no one -presume 
to relate to his brethren anything that he 
had seen or heard outside, as much evil 
7nay arise therefrom. 



P?-actice: 

1. Do not listen to words in any way 
opposed to the virtueof holy purity, but 
try to change the subject of conversation, 
or leave the company or in some other 
wa}^ show }^our displeasure. If the person, 
who uses such language, is your equal 
or if }^ou are his superior command him 
to cease at once. 

2. Do not listen to detracting- tongues. 

3. Do not listen to those who murmur 
against superiors, officials or their con- 
freres. 

4. Do not try to hear what others are 
secretly speaking- amongst themselves. 

5. Do not be anxious to hear the rumors 
and news of the world or anything else 
that may tend to disquiet the mind; be- 
cause they destroy recollection and are a 
great impediment to progress in spiritual 
things. 

6. Love to hear pious discourses; lax 
Religious are wont to tire of such con- 
versations, to despise and ridicule them. 

7. Love to hear the exhortations and 
admonitions of your superiors and receive 
their corrections with an humble and docile 
heart. Bad Religious hear admonitions 
with impatience, criticise them and con- 
sider them of no consequence. 



239 

§ 3. Mortification of the Sense of Taste. 

The more we pamper our bodies the 
more insolent they become. By indulging- 
the sense of taste we supply the flesh 
with material to lust ag-ainst the spirit, 
the soul becomes depressed and unfit for 
earnest work. Plenus venter non studet 
libenier. A well filled stomach will not 
study. 

In supplying- the body with food and 
drink we must observe moderation as to 
quantity, indifference as to quality, and 
exclude everything- that may savor of vo- 
racity. 

Practice: 

1. Keep your natural appetite in check 
and do not fall to your meals like some 
wild animal pounces upon its prey. Let 
a holy intention always precede your cor- 
poral refections. 

2. If more dishes are placed before you 
than are necessary, abstain from one or 
the other from a spirit of poverty, pen- 
ance, etc. Be not greedy in any feasting, 
and pour not out thyself upon any meat; 

for in many meats the?'e will be sickness, 
and greediness will turn to choler. By sur- 
feiting many have -perished; but he that is 
temperate, shall prolong life. (Eccli. 37, 
32.-34.) 



240 

3. Be content with the diet that is set 
before you. Never murmur against the 
officials on account of the meals, and much 
less instigate others to do so. 

4. Abstain from delicacies altogether, or 
partake of them very sparingly. 

5. Do not eat between meals without 
necessity or without permission, and keep 
no eatables or refreshments in your cell. 

6. Observe good manners and the rules 
of etiquette, particularly when you chance 
to dine with seculars. 

7. Pay attention to the table-reading. 



§ 4. Mortification of the Sense of Smell. 

We sin by the sense of smell if we in- 
hale agreeable odors for mere gratification. 
We mortify this sense by denying ourselves 
the pleasure of smelling fragrant things 
without cause, and by inhaling odors dis- 
agreeable to the smell. 

Practice: 

1. Use no perfumeries; they are not be- 
coming to men, much less to Religious. 

2. Do not pluck flowers or cany them 
about with you. 

3. Keep no aromatics in your room. 

4. Abstain from the use of tobacco, or, 
at least, use it with moderation. 



241 

5. Do not shirk duty in the class-room, 
sick-room, etc. on account of the foul air 
often found there. 

§ 5. Mortification of the Sense of Touch. 

The sense of touch is most dang-erous 
to holy purity. Let it always be remem- 
bered that our body is the temple of the 
Holy Ghost. 

Our Guardian Angel is always at our 
side, hence, let us heed the admonition of 
S. Bernard: Wherever you may be, show 
dice reverence to your Guardian Angel. 

The mortification of this sense consists 
in abstaining- from thing's that are agree- 
able to the touch, and in using- and bear- 
ing- patiently thing's that cause discomfort 
or pain to the body. 

Practice: 

1. Never touch the private parts of your 
body without necessity. 

2. Do not touch the face or tig-htly press 
the hand of a person of the opposite sex. 

3. Do not stroke animals, cats, dog-s, etc. 

4. Always preserve a modest posture of 
the body when standing-, sitting-, or lying- 
in bed. 

5. Bear patiently cold, heat, sickness, etc. 

6. Use a hard bed, and with the per- 
mission of your spiritual director, apply 

16 



242 

the discipline or some other instrument 
of physical mortification. 

§ 6. Mortification of the Tongue. 

If any man think himself to be religions, 
not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his 
own heart, that man's religion is vain. 
(James 1, 26.) The tongue is a lire, a 
z^'orld of iniquity, the tongue is placed 
among our members, which defleth the 
whole body .... being- set on fire by hell. 
For every nature of beasts, and of birds, 
and oJ~ serpents, and of the rest is tamed 
and hath been tamed by the nature of 
man: But the tongue no man can tame: 
an unquiet evil full of deadly poison. 
(James 3, 6. 8.) .4 slippery mouth worketh 
ruin. (Prov. 26, 28.") 

And indeed, how many idle, deceitful. 
lying - , detracting-, lasciyious. uncharitable, 
murmuring*, impure words drop from the 
human tongue ! Truly it is a world of 
iniquity. But the Lord has said : Every 
idle zjord that men shall speak, they shall 
render an account for it in the day of 
judgment. (Matt. 12. 36.) 

A Religious must be specially careful 
to ofuard his tongue, for S. Bernard is 
rig-ht when he says : With men of the 
world jokes are jokes, but in the mouth of 
a p>riest (Religious) they are blasphemies. 
2'ou have consecrated your lips to the Gos- 



243 

pel, to open them to such things is not al- 
lowed, to accustom them to such things is 
sacrilegious. 

All founders of religious Orders have 
inculcated the necessity of observing- 
silence, because a talkative man can not 
be recollected, he can not be a man of 
prayer, and therefore can not make much 
progress in perfection. Hence we must 
mortify the tong-ue and not allow it to 
utter idle or sinful words. Our conversa- 
tions should always be useful and a 
source of edification to others. 

Practice: 

1. Be careful not to speak from a sud- 
den impulse, or whilst vou are in a pas- 
sion. 

2. Before you join in a conversation 
make a g*ood intention and a resolution 
to say nothing- that may be offensive to 
God or man. 

3. Do not speak in forbidden places, 
at forbidden times or with forbidden per- 
sons. 

4. Let your words be few. In the 
multitude of words there shall not want 
sin. (Prov, 10, 19.) 

5. Never say anything* that may cause 
factions, impair the authority of superiors, 
violate fraternal charity, or in any other 
way be sinful. 



244 

6. When you speak, observe the rules 
of religious modesty. 

7. Refrain sometimes from speaking- 
even of lawful thing's, thereby imitating* 
the Prophet, who says of himself: / was 
dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence 

fro?n good things. (Ps. 38, 3.) 



II. STAGE OF ILLUMINATION. 



The stag-e of purg-ation requires us to 
decline from evil, the stag-e of illumina- 
tion requires us to do g*ood, to practice 
virtue. S. Peter marks out the work for 
this division on the way to perfection, 
when he says : Wherefore, brethren, labor 
the more that by good works you may 
make sure your calling and election. (II. Pet. 
1, 10.) 

During this stag-e we are to make posi- 
tive advances in perfection. We must 
lead holy lives, increase from virtue to 
virtue. Hence we have the treatise on the 
virtues. 



-:o:- 



245 
CHAPTER I. 

Virtue in General. 
§ 1. Nature of Virtue. 

Virtue is a supernatural habit or en- 
dowment infused into the soul by God, 
which elevates and perfects the rational 
faculties, and inclines and assists them to 
do that which is good. Others define vir- 
tue in this way: It is a uniform and ef- 
ficacious disposition of the mind to act in 
accordance with the will of God. 

All supernatural virtues are infused into 
the soul at the same time with sanctify- 
ing* grace, which is the supernatural life 
of the soul. They are the supernatural 
powers of the elevated soul', through 
which, by the assistance of actual grace, 
she must produce acts of virtue corre- 
sponding to these habits. It is therefore 
our object and duty in this life to develop, 
increase, intensify and perfect these habits 
of virtue by correlative acts of virtue. 
These heavenly endowments, powers and 
faculties of the soul, like the members of 
the body, must grow strong by continued 
exercise. 

The fact that we possess the habits of 
virtue as we receive them from God, will 
not make our life virtuous. We must ac- 
quire an ease and promptitude in the prac- 



246 

tice of virtue, by the oft repeated acts of 
virtue, so that by degree we may find our 
delight in the service of God, i. e. in the 
practice of everj^ virtue. 

That an act may be virtuous, it must 
have all the following* qualities: 

1. It must be good in itself, i. e. it must 
be in keeping with the law of God; 

2. it must be free; 

3. it must be actuated by some good 
motive; 

4. it must not be vitiated by any sinful 
circumstance. 

An action may be very good in itself, 
but the object or end for w^hich it is per- 
formed may deprive it of all moral recti- 
tude and value. The end in view may be 
grievously 'sinful; then it so uterly corrupts 
the action itself that no moral goodness 
remains. 

The end may be venially sinful; then, 
if it is the adequate or total object, the 
whole action is morally bad. If the agent 
has a twofold object* in view, one good 
and the other venially sinful, then, if the 
sinful object is primarily intended, the en- 
tire action becomes infected and morally 
corrupt. But if the good object is really 
intended and the sinful end simply accom- 
panies it, clings to it like a parasite, then 
the moral rectitude of the action is separ- 
able from its moral depravit}', in other 



247 

words the action is parti}' good and partly 
bad, and after we have removed every- 
thing- that is sinful or imperfect in such 
an action by penance, there will remain 
only what is pure, good and holy. 

That a good action may be meritorious 
in the strict sense, (de condigno) it is re- 
quired that the agent be in the state of 
sanctifying- grace, that he act from some 
supernatural motive and cooperate with 
actual grace. 

§ 2. Division of Virtues. 

There are two classes of virtues, theo- 
logical and moral. The theological vir- 
tues have God for their immediate object. 
They are Faith, Hope, and Charity. 

When we make an act of any of these 
virtues we base the act upon some inher- 
ent perfection of God. An act of faith is 
based upon the infinite knowledge and 
truthfulness of God; an act of hope is 
based upon His infinite power, His infinite 
fidelity in keeping His promises and His 
infinite goodness towards us; an act of 
charity is based upon His intrinsic, abso- 
lute goodness, on account of which He is 
infinitely deserving of our love. 

The theological virtues are the greatest 
and most necessary of all virtues. 

The moral virtues are those which direct 
and assist us in bringing our actions into 



248 

conformity to right reason and to the laws 
of God and man. 

Four of the moral virtues are called 
cardinal virtues, (from the Latin word 
cardo, which signifies a hinge,) because all 
the other virtues and all integrity of life 
move and turn upon them as a door moves 
and turns upon its hinges. The cardinal 
virtues are: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude 
and Temperance. 



§ 3. Manner of Developing Virtues. 

All the habits of supernatural virtues 
are infused together with sanctifying 
grace, but it behooves us to cultivate, de- 
velop and perfect them, and to acquire an 
ease and alacrity in performing the acts 
corresponding to the habits of virtue. The 
most effective means of developing virtues 
are: Meditation, Practice and Examination 
of conscience, especially the particular ex- 
amen. 

Meditation: We will not love virtue or 
strive to develop it, unless we know its 
worth, its utility and necessity. By me- 
ditation we gain such knowledge of vir- 
tue; we see its beauty, understand its ad- 
vantages for time and eternity, and hence 
we will try to acquire it, we will love it. 

Practice : As exercise develops the sinews 
and muscles of the body, so practice de- 



249 

velops and perfects the habits of virtue. 
Unless we accustom ourselves to perform 
virtuous acts, we will never acquire that 
ease and steadiness in the practice of vir- 
tue, which should characterize the true 
Religious. An old adage says: Practice 
makes pei'fect. Hence we should not grow 
faint-hearted or dejected w^hen we meet 
with occasions and opportunities for the 
exercise of virtue, or when we are assailed 
by temptations, which render the practice 
of virtue more difficult. There is no room 
for patience where there is nothing- to 
make us impatient; there is no actual 
humility without humiliations; no moder- 
ation without privation. 

Examination of conscience : The gener- 
al examinations bring* before the eyes of 
the soul the steps we have taken on our 
pilgrimag-e through life. If we find that 
we have often gone astray from the nar- 
row path of virtue, we will feel ashamed, 
but our confidence in God will urge us to 
rectify our missteps and to resolve to lead 
a more virtuous life in the future. The 
particular examen will show us what pro- 
gress we have made in subduing some 
special vice and in developing the opposite 
virtue. It will make us watchful and per- 
sistent in our holy resolutions, and thus 
cause us to grow stronger in virtue from 
day to day. We must not permanently drop 
the subject of this particular examen until 



250 

we have gained a perfect ease, alacrity and 
even delight in the practice of that virtue, 
which we are endeavoring to develop. 
Sometimes we may experience a temporary 
facility in the practice of virtue, as the 
result of some special fervor of devotion, 
or of the encouragement or approval of 
our superiors, but we must not content 
ourselves with any transient virtuousness. 
We must be firmly grounded in abiding 
virtue before we can be said to have gained 
perfection. The surest test of solid virtue 
is if we continue to practice it in time of 
spiritual dryness and desolation, when it 
is misunderstood and misjudged by our 
best friends, when there is no human motive 
for our faithful perseverance in its practice. 



:o:- 



CHAPTBR II. 

Particular Virtues. 

ARTICLE I. 

Zeal in the Performance of Common 
Daily Duties. 

§ 1. Nature of Religious Zeal. 

This zeal is a virtue directly opposed to 
slovenliness, and inclines man to perform 
with diligence and to the best of his abil- 



251 

ity, all duties incumbent upon him in virtue 
of his office, of obedience or of his re- 
ligious profession, at the proper time, in 
the proper manner and order. 

The progress of a Religious on the path 
of perfection consists almost exclusively in 
doing- his common, every-day duties per- 
fectly. Hence the necessity of this virtue is 
quite apparent. That Religious is perfect, 
who does the will of God with all his heart, 
with all his mind and with all his strength. 

God does not often require extraordinary^ 
and heroic works, and the average Re- 
ligious seldom finds occasion for such deeds 
of valor, but He that is faithful in that 
which is hast, is faithful also in that 
which is greater, and he that is unjust in 
that which is little, is unjust also in that 
which is greater. (Luke 16, 10.) By our 
zeal and fidelity in little things we merit 
the graces necessary to execute great 
things, when we are called upon by God 
to do so. God does not weigh the mate- 
rial action, but rather the good disposition 
and intentions of the will. The work of 
the Lay-sister in the kitchen may be more 
perfect, acceptable and meritorious in the 
sight of God than the labors of the mis- 
sionar}% who converts whole nations to the 
true faith. It mostl} 7 depends upon the pu- 
rity of intention and the intensity of our 
love to God, how much our actions are worth 
before Him, Who searches the hearts of men. 



252 

§ 2. Pure Intention in our Ordinary Actions. 

We have a pure intention if we desire 
to please God alone, to fulfill His holy will 
in all thing's, and thus increase His extrin- 
sic glory. Our intention is actual, when, 
by a special act of the will, we refer our 
actions to God. It is virtual when our 
former actual intention no longer exists as 
an act of the will, but continues in force 
in its effects, so that we perform our pres- 
ent actions in virtue of a past actual in- 
tention of referring- everything* to the 
greater honor and glory of God. Our in- 
tention is habitual when the preceding* ac- 
tual intention has not been formally re- 
called, but does no long*er exert any influ- 
ence upon our present actions. This habitual 
intention does not suffice to make our ac- 
tions supernaturally good and meritorious; 
that they may become so, we must refer 
them to God either immediatly or mediatly, 
explicitly or implicitly. Every one that 
hath left house . . .fo r my name'* s sake, 
shall receive a hund?'edfold* (Matt. 19, 29.) 
Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else' 
you do, do all to the glory of God. 
(I. Cor. 10, 31.) S. Ambrose says: A Chris- 
tian should refer all he does to the praise 
of God, and S. Bernard: Whatsoever we do, 
we are commanded to do for the glory of 
God. The Benedictine motto taken from 
the Holy Rule (chap. 57.) has always been: 



253 

Ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus, That God 

may be glorified in ail things. The motto 
of S. Ignatius and his sons is: Omnia ad 
majorem Dei gloriam, All for the greater 
.glory of God. 

All our actions must be directed to God 
as our last end, at least by some general 
intention, in order that they may be mor- 
ally good and meritorious. In this human 
actions are distinguished from the actions 
of brutes and man's indeliberate actions, 
that they are directed to an end, showing 
that man is the master of his deliberate 
acts and responsible for them. 

Now, reason proves that man's ultimate 
end is God, in Whom alone he can find 
supreme happiness. Hence reason also 
demands that man should strive to attain 
his last end, and, therefore, it requires 
him to direct all his actions to God. 

It is the common teaching of Theo- 
logians that no individual, deliberate act 
of man is indifferent, i. e., neither good 
nor bad, for it is or is not referred to God. 
If it is, supposing of course that it is not 
bad in itself, it is morally good. If it is 
not, it becomes morally bad precisely be- 
cause we do not fulfill the obligation of 
directing all our actions to God as our 
ultimate end. All our actions, even the 
smallest and the most trifling, increase our 
merits and consequent^ our reward in 
heaven, if they are performed for God's 



254 

sake, because they bring- us closer to God 
by augmenting* charity in our souls, and 
charity is the bond of union between God 
and man. 

God reg-ards the heart and not the ma- 
terial act; He does not consider the great- 
ness of the action but the intensity of the 
love from which it proceeds. This con- 
sideration should be a source of great con- 
solation to those, who are called upon to 
do the drudgery work in a community, or 
have no success in their undertakings. 

Inferences : 

1. The good intention made in the morn- 
ing, by which all our actions of the entire 
day are offered up to God, is indeed most 
pleasing and acceptable to Him, and we 
should make it every day with the great- 
est possible fervor of charity. But we must 
renew it occasionally during the day, else 
it will grow weak, lose its efficacy and 
gradually degenerate into a habitual inten- 
tion, which is not sufficient, and we will 
begin to perform our actions from mere 
routine or from impure motives, such as 
human fear, vain glory and love of ease. 

2. It is not sufficient to begin a work 
with a pure intention, but the good inten- 
tion must accompany the work through 
all its stages to the very end. The devil 
is sly; he will do his utmost to render 



255 

our work worthless, or even sinful in the 
sight of God. He tries to prevent or weak- 
en our g-ood intention when we beg-in the 
work, if he fails in this, he will sug-g-est 
.improper motives in the course of the work, 
or, when the work is completed, he will 
endeavor to corrupt the entire work by 
sug-gesting- self-complacency or a desire of 
praise for what we have done. 

3. It is very expedient to make several 
specifically different intentions; e. g\, when 
we fast we may be actuated by the fol- 
lowing- motives: To practice the virtue of 
temperance, to mortify the flesh so danger- 
ous to the virtue of chastity, to do pen- 
ance for past sins, to obey the precept 
of the Church, to exercise ourselves in 
humility, etc. Every additional g-ood in- 
tention enhances the glory of God and in- 
creases our merit, and consequently our 
reward. 

Since impure motives so easily creep 
into our actions, it is of great importance 
that we should be able to discover them, 
so that we may be on our guard ag-ainst 
them. 

They are recognized by the following* 
sig-ns: 

a) If we envy others when they are suc- 
cessful in their undertaking's. 

b) If we become dejected and melancholy 



256 

when our works and efforts are not crowned 
with success. 

c) If we neglect or shorten our spiritual 
exercises on account of dryness and deso- 
lation of spirit. 

d) If we do not respond cheerfully when 
called upon to do menial work. 

e) If we sulk and perform our work 
without zest or energy, because we have 
been reprimanded by our superior. 

§ 3. How to Perform our Daily Duties Perfectly. 

That our works be good a pure inten- 
tion is requisite but not sufficient; we must 
also perform them in a perfect manner. 

We must perform them: 

1. At the proper time. This is very 
necessary in a religious community, other- 
wise there will be no order in the house 
of God. All things have their season. 
(Eccles 3, 1.) Those works which we fail 
to do at the time appointed for them, 
unless we have some valid excuse, are 
tainted by self-will; they are displeasing* 
or at least less pleasing- to God. Fre- 
quently they are omitted entirely. S. Bene- 
dict in his Holy Rule (Chap. 6.) says: The 
first degree of humility is obedience without 
delay. It belongs to those who prefer Jesus 
Christ to all things else, who, by consider- 
ing the holy engagement they have ?nade in 



257 

His service, . . . obex at the moment and 
as promptly, when the superior commands 
as if the order was from God Himself . 

If we defer our spiritual exercises, we 
will either omit them or we will make 
them hastily and superficially and conse- 
quently with little or no fruit. 

2. Zealously and entirely. "We fail against 
this condition if we come late to the com- 
munity exercises, or leave without necessity 
before they are completed; if we grow 
tired of our work and put it off, leaving 
it unfinished; if we perform our work in 
a superficial manner and occupy ourselves 
with things of no consequence; if we per- 
form the duties imposed upon us by obedi- 
ence iu a slovenly manner or with disgust. 
Cursed be he that doth the zvork of the 
Lord deceitfully \ (Jer. 48, 10.) 

3. Cheerfully \ Not with sadness, or of 
necessity. (II. Cor. 9, 7.) A cheerful counte- 
nance and a fleasant wo7'd add much grace 
to obedience. (S. Bernard.) Whosoever 
groans under his burden will not carry it 
long. And why should we not gladly serve 
God if we sincerely love Him? He is an amia- 
ble Master. He has been so good and 
kind to us and is so anxious to reward us 
for our little services. 

4. Attentively and with singleness of 
purpose. We should concentrate our whole 
mind and energy upon the work in hand, 

17 



258 

and not think of what we have already 
done or must do afterwards. Meddle not 
with manny matters, (Eccli. 11, 10.) 

5. With religious modesty, for the edific- 
ation of others and out of reverence to 
God and the Guardian Angel. 

6. Calmly and quietly, without any in- 
ordinate desire of pleasing- men, without 
fear of displeasing- them, without any un- 
due anxiety about the happy issue of the 
work. God looks to the heart and rewards 
the effort. 

§ 4. Means of Performing our Daily Duties 
perfectly. 

1. An ea?yiest will and desire to do 
everything perfectly. This desire will im- 
pel us to do our utmost. It will make us 
watchful to avail ourselves of the means 
and occasions of doing* our duties well, and 
to remove everything- that mig-ht be an 
obstacle to perfection in our works. 

2. Self-distrust, God resists the proud 
and presumptuous and witholds His graces 
from them, that they may be put to shame 
and then take refug*e to Him. 

3. Confidence in God, Know ye that 
no one has hoped in the Lord and hath 
been confounded, (Eccli. 2, 11.) The weak 
things of the world hath God chosen that 
He 7nay confound the strong , , , that no 



259 

flesh should glory in His sight. (I. Cor. 1, 
27. 29.) This is the will of God, your 
sanctification. (I. Thess. 4, 3.) God siti- 
cerly desires our sanctification, hence He 
is also ready and desirous to bestow upon 
us His graces, without which we can not 
sanctify our actions or ourselves. 

4. Humble prayer, God desires to be 
asked, He desires to be coerced, He desires 
to be forced to yield by our importunities. 
(S. Gregory.) As a dutiful child asks from 
its parents whatever it may need, so we, 
as loving children of God, should ask 
from our heavenly Father by humble, 
fervent, persevering, confiding and loving 
prayer whatever we may require to perfect 
our lives. Amen, amen I say to you: if 
you ask the Father anything in My name, 
He will give it to you. (John 16, 23.) 

5. Actual co-operation with the grace of 
God. God made us without us, but He 
will not save us without us. (S. Augus- 
tine.) 

6. Serious reflection that the work in 
hand may be the last of our lives. And, 
indeed, no one knows the day or the hour 
when the Lord will come. 

7. Finally, a most universal and effec- 
tive means is the loving rememberance of 
the presence of God. (Rule of S. Bene- 
dict c. 7.) 



260 

ARTICLE II. 

Humility. 
§ 1. Nature of Humility. 

Humilit} 7- is a moral virtue inclining* 
man to form a lowly opinion of himself, 
and to desire that others should also 
think lowly of him. Hence, there is a 
humility of estimation, which is an acknow- 
ledgment of our own nothing-ness, based 
upon our utter dependence from God and 
our own depravity; and there is a humility 
of affection, which consists in a love of 
humiliations and in a desire that others 
should think little of us. 

Humility does not require us to ig-nore 
the g-ood that is in us, but that we do 
not claim it as our own, for it is God's 
gift. What hast thou that thou hast not 
received? And if thou hast received, why 
dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not 
received it? (I. Cor. 4, 7.) 

§ 2. Necessity of Humility. 

1. When the Apostles were wrangling* 
among-st themselves, who of them would 
be the greater in the king*dom of heaven, 
our Lord said to them: Unless you become 
converted and become as little children, 
you shall not enter into the kingdom of 
heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble 



261 

himself as this little child, he is the greater 
in the kingdom of heaven, (Matt. 18, 3. 4.) 

2. It is the common teaching- of the 
Holy Fathers that humility is the basis 
and foundation of all Christian perfection. 
Humility has always been the groundwork 
of holiness, and pride could not maintain 
itself in heaven. (S. Cyprian.) If yon 
intend to erect a lofty edifice of sanctity, 
give voter first attention to the foundation 
of humility. (S. Aug-ustine.) Whosoever 
tries to be virtuous without humility throws 
dust to the wind. (S. Greg-ory.) Without 
actual grace we can not even begin any 
supernatural act of virtue; but God resisteth 
the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 
(James 4, 6.) Hence it is impossible to 
develop or even preserve the habits of 
virtue without humility. 

3. As Benedictines we have promised 
obedience according- to the Rule of S. 
Benedict. But in that Rule nothing- is in- 
culcated with greater force and persistency 
than true humility. It is only after we 
shall have passed through the twelve 
degrees of humility, described in the 7. 
chapter of the Holy Rule, that we shall 
attain to that perfect love and union with 
God, to which every Relig-ious is bound to 
aspire. 

4. Reason itself demonstrates the ne- 
cessity of humility. Our whole being- is 
dependent upon God, and by our sinful 



262 

lives we have given ourselves ample 
reason to be humble and ashamed of our- 
selves. 



§ 3. Additional Incentives to Humility. 

1. The example of Christ and the 
Saints of God. Learn of Me, because I 
am meek and humble of heart. (Matt. 
11, 29.) After He had washed the feet of 
His disciples Christ said to them: / have 
given you an example, that as I have done 
to you, so you do also. (John 13, 15.) In 
vain do we call ourselves Christians, if we 
do not follow Christ. (S. Bernard.) 

2. Humility renders us pleasing* to God 
and man. For the Lord is high and 
looketh on the low; and the high He 
knoweth afar off. (Ps. 137, 6.) Whoso- 
ever shall exalt himself, shall be hu?nbled; 
and he that shall humble himself, shall be 
exalted. (Matt. 23, 12.) 

3. Humility beg-ets peace and tran- 
quillity of soul, whilst confusion and per- 
turbation of spirit are the unhappy pro- 
geny of pride. Learn of Me, because I 
am meek and humble of heart: and you 
shall find rest to your souls. (Matt. 11, 29.) 
If there is peace on earth, it is surely 
found with him, who is truly humble of 
heart. 



263 

§ 4. Practice of True Humility. 

A. Towards God. 

> 1. Sink down into the dust of your 
own nothingness before the awful majesty 
of God, when you visit the Blessed Sacra- 
ment, when you stand before Him in the 
recitation of the Divine Office, when you 
kneel before Him in meditation, etc. 

2. In time of spiritual dryness and 
desolation, remember your past sins and 
infidelities, and acknowledge yourself to 
be unworthy of any favors or consolations. 
Say to the Lord with David: I know, O 
Lord, that Thy judgments are equity, and 
in Thy truth Thoti hast humbled me, (Ps. 
118, 75.) 

3. Always distrust yourself, and place 
your whole reliance in the assistance of 
God. 

4. Never seek your own glory, but 
direct all your actions to God and His 
greater honor and glory. 

5. Ascribe all the good that is in you, 
your talents, your other natural endow- 
ments, your success in your undertakings, 
etc., to the grace of God. What hast 
thou that thou hast not received? 

B. Towards Others. 

1. Always consider yourself the least 
of men; and, indeed, if God had favored 



264 

others with graces as He has favored you, 
perhaps they would be much better than 
you are now; and if you had been exposed 
to the occasions of sin as others have 
been exposed, perhaps you would be much 
worse than they are. Hence, if you are 
not really as bad as others, you owe it to 
the mercy of God. 

2. Always consider yourself unworthy 
of positions of honor and trust, and shrink 
from them as long* as obedience and 
charity permit you to do so. 

3. Be content to do the drudgery work 
in the community and do it cheerfully. 

4. Bear it patiently when others think 
little of you, when they expose your faults 
and make them a subject of mirth; when 
they directly or indirectly obstruct your 
way to positions of honor; w T hen others 
are praised for the good they may do 
and nothing is said of you; when others 
oppose you; when they shun your com- 
pany; when wxxrk that is hard and dis- 
agreeable is always parcelled out to you, 
whilst others do the easy work that draws 
the attention of others; when you are 
treated contemptuously and fail to receive 
even the customary greetings of the com- 
munity members. 

5. When you commit public faults, 
for which a humiliating penance is en- 
joined by the superior, or for which you 
are upbraided by your confreres, bewail 



265 

your faults because the}^ are displeasing 
t,o God, but receive }^our humiliation with 
joy and say to God with the Prophet: // 
is qvod for me that Thou hast humbled 
me. (Ps. 118, 71.) 

6. Never den} T or excuse your faults, 
but acknowledge and confess them. 

7. Do not feel ashamed of your natural 
defects, your want of tact and talent, 
your lowly ancestry. 

8. Do not seek the acquaintance of 
persons of high rank or great renown. 

§ 5. Signs of False Humility. 

There is one that humbleth himself wick- 
edly, and his interior is full of deceit. 
(Eccli. 19, 23.) Of such S. Ambrose says: 
There ai'e many, who have the semblance 
but not the virtue of humility. Many show 
outwa?'d sig'ns of humility but inwardly 
they are foes of hu?nility. 

The signs of a spurious humility are: 

1. To proclaim ourselves sinners, simple- 
tons, etc., before others, and to grow in- 
dignant when others say the same of us 
or treat us as such. Thus we often lie 
to God by humbling ourselves before Him 
in prayer and meditation, and as soon as 
we are humbled by others we become in- 
censed and begin to whine and pout. 

2. To walk with downcast eyes and 
lowered head, to speak softty as long as 



266 

all g-oes well, but become angry and 
obstreperous when others g-ive us any 
offense. Touch the mountains and they 
shall smoke. (Ps. 143, 5.) 

3. To shun those occupations and 
duties, which do not attract the attention 
of men, from which no success, but only 
humiliations and confusion are to be 
expected, and to seek offices and occupa- 
tions, that bring- us into prominence. 

4. To grow sad or envious when others 
achieve success in their undertaking's. 

5. To be filled with confusion over 
public faults, and to care little or nothing- 
for those that escape the notice of others* 



ARTICLE III. 

Perfect Conformity of our Will to the 
Will of God. 

§ 1. Nature of this Virtue. 

This conformity is a virtue or rather 
an ag-greg-ate of virtues, which inclines 
man, in consideration of the infinite 
power, wisdom and g-oodness of God, to 
bring his will into perfect accord with the 
will of God, so that he will do only what 
God wills, as God wills and because God 
so wills. 



267 

§ 2. Excellence and Necessity of this Virtue. 

This virtue produces a close union 
.between man and God, and consequently 
perfects charit}^, which is the bond of 
union and the measure of man's perfec- 
tion. Whosoever do the will of God are 
more closely united to Him, than the nearest 
of kin to one another. (S. Chrysostom.) 
When someone came to our Lord and said: 
Behold Thy mother and Thy brethren stand 
without, seeking Thee, He said: Who- 
soever shall do the will of My Father, 
Who is in heaven, he is My brother and 
sister and mother. (Matt. 12, 47. 50.) 
This conformity is the surest criterion 
of our love of God. He that hath My 
commandments and keefeth them, he it is 
that loveth Me. (John 14, 21.) It was 
the only object of Christ's life: My food 
is to do the will of Him that sent Me. 
(John 4, 34.) It is not difficult to see the 
necessity of this conformity. All inani- 
mate creation exactly follows the laws of 
eternal wisdom, and man endowed with 
reason should certainly not refuse to do 
the will of his Creator. By creation, 
redemption, sanctification, and by our 
own free choice, God is our absolute 
Master, hence we must do His will in all 
things. Without conformity of our will 
with God's will there can be no true love 
of God. True friendship requires that 



268 

those between whom it exists, should love 
and pursue the same goods, hate and flee 
the same evils. Hence the adage: Love 
either finds like or produces like, 

§ 3. Motives to Acquire this Conformity. 

1. All afflictions of soul or body, whether 
proceeding- from natural causes, or from 
the malice of man, or the envy of the 
devil, come from God; He either positively 
sends them Himself, or, for g*ood reasons, 
permits them to befall us, but by His* all- 
wise providence He directs everything- to 
our spiritual advancement. Shall there be 
evil in the city -which the Lord hath not 
done? (Amos 3, 6.) Good things and 
evil, life and death, poverty and riches, 
are from God, (Eccli. 11, 14.) 

2. The providence and watchfulness of 
God over us extend even to the minutest 
details of our lives. Bat a hair of yonr 
head shall not perish, (Luke 21, 18.) 

3. God ordains and directs all our trials 
and adversities' to our spiritual welfare. 
If we bear them patiently and with 
resignation, we make atonement for our 
sins in this life. The}' withdraw us from 
an inordinate love of creatures; they pre- 
serve us from sin; they test and perfect 
our virtuosness; they augment our merits 
and future crown of glory. The sufferings 
of this present time a?'e not worthy to be 



269 

compared with the glory to come, that 
shall be revealed in us. (Rom. 8, 18.) 
Hence, afflictions attest God's love towards 
us. Those whom I love, I rebuke and 
chastise. (Apoc. 3, 19.) Think of Job, 
Joseph, Tobias and numberless Saints of 
the Church. 

4. God does not send us greater afflic- 
tions than we are able to bear with the 
assistance of His grace. God is 'faithful, 
Who will not suffer you to be tempted 
above that which you are able, but will 
make also with temptation issue, that you 
may be able to bear it. (I. Cor. 10, 13.) 
The fruits of this conformity, besides 
those already mentioned, are very great 
indeed. 

a) We avoid numberless sins, which 
are wont to result from impatience and 
despair. 

b) Our adversities become lig*hter and 
do not produce that inordinate sadness, 
which is frequently harder to bear than 
the affliction itself. 

c) We obtain peace of soul, that peace 
which the world cannot give. 

Moreover, this conformity has always 
been considered a sign of predestination. 
The Apostle says: Heirs indeed of God, 
and joint-heirs of Christ, yet so if we suffer 
with Him , that we may be also glorified 
with Him, (Rom. 8, 17.) And ag-ain: 



270 

Whom He fore-knew, He also predestined 
to be made conformable to the image of 
His Son. (Rom. 8, 28.) 

§ 4. Practice and Degree of this Conformity. 
Practice: 

1. Often reflect that nothing can befall 
you without the permission of God, and 
that To- them that love God all things 
work together unto good. (Rom. 8, 28.) 

2. Before you act, always ask yourself: 
What is the will of God? 

3. Be not solicitous about the future. 
Do your present duty and leaye the rest 
to God. 

4. In adversity implore the divine 
assistance, but with perfect resignation to 
the will of God, saying to Him in the 
words of our Lord: Father, not My will 
but Thine be done. 

5. Be wholly indifferent as to the 
nature of the duties imposed upon you, 
knowing that it is the will of God that 
you should do what others desire or com- 
mand you to do. 

Degi'ees: 

1. To undergo all trials and difficulties 
without any external manifestation of 
impatience. The victory is enhanced in 
proportion to the obstacles which we 
surmount. 



271 

2. To subject ourselves without any 
internal unwillingness or mental strain. 
Where there is love, nothing is difficult. 
(S. Augustine.) 

3. To submit to the will of God, even 
in the greatest sufferings and adversities, 
with joy and cheerfulness of soul. aye. 
even to desire and ask for afflictions as 
the Saints have done. 



AETICLE IV. 

Resolute Perseverance in Good. 

He that shall persevere unto the end, he 
shall be saved. (Matt. 10. 22.) No man 
putting his hand to the plozb and looking 
back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 
9, 62. ) It is nothing great to begin a 
good work but to complete it is praise- 
worthy. (S. Augustine.) The motto of 
S. John Berchmans was: .4 little at a 
time, but always something. 

Young Religious should pay special 
attention to the virtue of perseverance, 
because in every community there are 
some who give disedirication. We must 
perseveringly strive to bring our lives 
into conformity with our Holy Rule, our 
Statutes and the examples of the Saints. 
S. Bernard says: The devil hates nothing 
so much as perseverance in good, because 



272 

he is well azvare that perseverance alone 
will gain the crown. Hence he tries to 
weaken our resolutions and to undermine 
our perseverance. To accomplish this end 
he assails us with vehement temptations 
and subtle delusions. 

We fail ag-ainst the virtue of persever- 
ance 

1. by neglecting- our spiritual exercises; 

2. by faintheartedness and a dread of 
difficulties; 

3. by a lax way of living"; 

4. by giving* too much time and atten- 
tion to external thing's; 

5. by indiscreet fervor; 

6. by relying too much upon ourselves 
and our own strength; 

7. by a want of watchfulness; 

8. by a disreg-ard of little things. 



ARTICLE V. 

Synopsis of some other Virtue belonging 
to the Stage of Illumination. 

§ 1. The Virtue of Religion. 

Religion, the greatest of all moral 
virtues, is a habit infused by God inclin- 
ing man to render due honor and worship 
to God. Since man is composed of body 



273 

and soul, he must offer to God an internal 
and external worship. 

Religious take their name from the 
virtue of religion, because they are ex- 
pected to cultivate this virtue in a special 
decree. 



Practice of the Virtue of Religion: 

1. Adoration, which is an attestation of 
the supreme and absolute dominion of God 
and an acknowledgement of our depend- 
ence from Him. In its strict sense adora- 
tion is a worship of latria and can 
therefore have God alone as its object. 

2. Prayer, both mental and vocal. For 
Religious the Divine Office is pre-eminently 
the prayer, which the virtue of religion 
requires from them. 

3. Sacrifice, which consists in the obla- 
tion of some material object by a duly 
authorized minister, in attestation of the 
supreme dominion of God, with a physical 
or morally equivalent destruction of the 
thing offered. The sacrifice of the Mass 
is the most sublime act of religion; by it 
we offer to an infinite God an infinite 
worship. 

4. Devotion, which consists in a holy 
alacrity and fervor in everything that 
belongs to the honor and worship of God. 

18 



274 

§ 2. The Virtue of Prudence. 

Prudence or discretion is a virtue of 
the intellect, pointing* out what is to be 
done or omitted in every individual act, 
that it may be perfect in all its bearing's. 
Hence it moderates, directs and reg-ulates 
all our moral actions. Discretion is not 
so much a virtue as the directress and 
mistress of all virtues. Take it away and 
virtue becomes a vice. (S. Bernard.) We 
fail ag-ainst this virtue either by want or 
excess of prudence. 

By Want: 

1. When we act with precipitation, as 
those are wont to do, who have not yet 
mastered their inordinate passions. 

2. When we act without reflection, not 
considering- the nature of circumstances, 
the aids and difficulties of the work we 
perform. 

3. When we are inconstant and change 
our mind or purpose without sufficient 
reason, v. g\ because we become tired or 
disg-usted, or because we fear criticism. 

4. When we are slug-gish and do not 
earnestly apply our minds to the work in 
hand. 

By Excess: 

1. When we apply the prudence of the 
flesh, which seeks only earthy g"ain, 
pursues unholy ends and employs sinful 



- 7 /o 

means to obtain them. S. Paul says: 
The wisdom of the flesh is an enemy of 
God, for it is not subject to the law of 
God, neither can it be, (Rom, 8, 7.) 

2. When we use cunning" and guile to 
deceive our fellowmen. Woe to than that 
are of a double heart . . . and to the 
sinner that goeth on the earth two ways. 
(Eccli. 2, 14.) 

3. When we are unreasonably anxious 
and fretful in anything- that concerns our 
temporal or eternal welfare. Martha. 
Martha, thou art careful, and a?'t troubled 
about many things, but one thing is 
necessary. ~(Luke 10, 41.) 

4. When we are obstinate and persist 
in doing- or trying to do thing's where 
true discretion requires us to disist. 

§ 3. The Virtue of Justice. 

Justice, the second of the cardinal 
virtues, orders the will and directs it to 
give to every one his due, — to God, wor- 
ship by religion — to those who are placed 
over us, piety if they are our parents, 
obedience if they are our superiors, 
gratitude if they are our benefactors, 
kindness if they are our friends, respect 
if they are our elders. — To those, who are 
our equals, justice pays the tribute of 
charity in the heart, affability in words, 
mercy in deeds, simplicity in action, 



276 

truth in speech, strict justice in paying* 
debts, liberality in gifts. (Science of the 
Spiritual Life.) 



§ 4. The Virtue of Temperance. 

Temperance subordinates the concupisci- 
ble appetite to the obedience of reason 
and faith. This subordination, if it 
affects one's esteem of oneself, is called 
humility; if food, it is called abstinence; 
if drink, sobriety; if carnal pleasures, 
chastity; if look, speech or touch, modesty; 
if voluntary defilement, virginity; if ang*er, 
meekness; if the desire of knowledge, 
studiousness; if talkativeness, silence; if 
levity, gravity; if love of ease, austerity. 
(Ibid.) 

§ 5. The Virtue of Fortitude. 

Fortitude subordinates the irascible ap- 
petite and stimulates it to overcome 
fatig-ue, trouble and dang-er. If this relates 
to difficulty in the substance of the action, 
it is called mag-nanimity; if in the cost or 
expense of the action, it is called munifi- 
cence; if in the result of the action, it is 
called peace of mind or equanimity; if in 
the nature of the trial, it is cslled patience; 
if in its long- continuance, it is called 
constancy. (Ibid. ) 



277 
§ 6. The Virtue of Simplicity. 

Simplicity is a virtue, which excludes 
all fraud, deception, hypocrisy and flattery 
from our external conduct and makes us 
appear before others as we really are 
before God and ourselves. 

It does not, therefore, consist in a dull- 
ness of intellect or a want of prudence. 
It does not make us simpletons, but sincere. 

True simplicity is pleasing- to God and 
man: His (God's) communication is with 
the simple. (Pro v. 3, 32.) / know my 
God, that Thou provest hearts, and lovest 
simplicity. (I. Paralip. 29, 17.) Without 
this virtue religious houses would be dens 
of artful schemers, hypocrites and in- 
triguers. Hence: 

1. In speaking, avoid all words of 
double meaning and use no mental restric- 
tions, but speak your mind candidly. 

2. Ask no questions to catch another 
in his own words, or to elicit a secret 
from him should he answer in an 
unguarded, off-hand manner. 

3. Never praise or flatter another to 
his face, and speak not evil of any person 
in his absence. 

4. Do not elicit censorious remarks 
from others, in order to make them known 
to those about whom they are made. 

5. Do not promise your influence to 
another in securing a position of honor 



278 

or trust, with the intention of placing* 
obstacles to the position in his way. 

6. Do not assent to everything* that 
others say, simply because you desire to 
ofain or retain their favor. 



§ 7. The Virtue of Meekness. 

Meekness is a moral virtue, wluch 
moderates anger. It does not do away 
with all anger, but it keeps our anger 
within reason, so that we do not become 
angry without cause, or more angry 
than we should be, or from some wicked 
passion. Anger itself is sometimes very 
good. Be ye angry and sin not. (Ps. 4, 5.) 
Christ Himself was angry when he drove 
the buyers and sellers out of the temple. 
S. Gregory sa}^s: If we are commanded 
to love others as ourselves, it fallows that 
we should be as angry at their faults as 
at our own. 

Meekness is a most necessary virtue, 
because it is directly opposed to anger, a 
passion, which is apt to break out most 
suddenly and violently. We may have 
learned from experience how many evils 
and great scandals spring from anger. 

Religious are not always exempt from 
provocations to anger. They too are 
often crossed in their opinions and desires, 
and called upon to do things that are 
most distasteful to nature, and unless 



279 

the}' are well grounded in meekness, their 
anger will often be aroused and they will 
not be inclined to suppress it. 

There are many inducements that should 
commend this virtue to us and make us 
fervent in its practice. First of all it 
endears us to God and man. My son, do 
thy work in meekness, and thou shalt be 
beloved above the glory of men. (Eccli. 
3, 19.) The prayer of the humble and the 
meek hath always pleased Thee. (Judith 
9, 16.) 

Another fruit of meekness is peace and 
tranquillity of mind and soul. The meek 
shall inherit the land, and shall delight in 
abundance of peace. (Ps. 36, 11.) Learn 
of Me because I am meek and humble of 
heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. 
(Matt. 11, 29.) Nothing is so conducive 
to peace and serenity of soul as meekness 
and modesty. (S. Chrysostom.) Meekness 
makes others lovers of peace. A mild 
answer b?'eaketh wrath, but a harsh word 
stirreth up fury. (Prov. 15, 1.) 

This virtue of meekness is particularly 
useful and necessary to superiors in 
religious communities, to pastors and 
teachers. S. Paul sa}^s: Brethren, and if 
any man be overtaken in any fault, you 
-who are spiritual instruct such a one in 
the spirit of mildness, considering thyself, 
lest thou also be tempted. (Gal. 6, 1.) S. 
Lawrence Justinian earnestly exhorts pas- 



280 

tors of souls to control their temper and 
to correct the erring- in a fatherly way, 
otherwise, wound will be added to wound 
and passion will be heaped upon passion. 

But we must not allow our meekness to 
degenerate in to over-indulgence. When 
the honor of God is at stake let us not 
be afraid to correct abuses, and, if we are 
superiors, to punish those, who deserve 
punishment. The Lord complains of the 
priests and prophets of Israel and says by 
the mouth of Isaias: "His watchmen are 
all blind, they are all ignorant: dumb dogs 
not able to bark, seeing vain things, sleep- 
ing and loving dreams". (Is. 56, 10.) Let 
us observe what S.' Benedict prescribes to 
the abbot: /;/ reproving, let him copy 
the model famished by the Apostle when 
he says: "Reprove, entreat, rebuke," and 
mingling mildness with severity, change 
his mode of dealing as time requires: now 
a hard master, and again a loving father, 
that is to say, he should be more severe in 
correcting the restless and headstrong, and 
induce the humble and patient to advance 
more and more in the path of virtue. 
(Holy Rule chap. 2.) 

The means of developing the virtue of 
meekness have been g-iven in a general 
way in the treatise on the stage of illum- 
mination. (Pag-e 244.) S. Gregory suggests 
a good rule when he says: When we see 
the faults of others, let us think of the 



281 

faults which we om'selves have committed 
in other things. The thought of our own 
infirmity will * lead us to excuse the fail- 
ings of others. 

Practice: 

1. When 3^our anger is suddenly aroused, 
subdue it, and do not show it outwardly 
bj^ any word or other sign. 

2. Do not entertain thoughts of resent- 
ment, and do not dwell upon the injuries 
you may have received, but banish them 
from your mind and engage your imagina- 
tion with some other subject. 

3. Do not act or speak under an im- 
pulse of passion, but always keep cool; 
take time to think before you act or 
speak. 

4. Speak kindly to all, no difference 
how lowly their condition may be. Hear 
them and answer their questions oblig- 
ingly, even when they take away your 
time or are otherwise annoying you. 

5. Do not enter into angry disputes 
. with others. Speak your mind quietly 

and then yield to others, when duty does 
not require you to insist. 

6. Never accuse another of ignorance 
or of telling the untruth, but cover up 
his mistakes before others and correct 
him kindly and privately afterwards. 

7. Foster peace and harmony in the 



282 

community and when they have been 
disturbed, do your utmost to restore them. 

§ 8. Religious Friendship and Affability. 

Religious friendship is the mutual love 
existing- between the members of a religi- 
ous community. Numberless passag-es of 
Holy Scripture attest the necessity of 
loving* those with whom we associate. 
This mutual love is particularly necessary 
in religious families, because the members 
of such a community are not only brethren 
throug-h Baptism, but they are bound 
tog-ether by a much closer bond — the 
bond of religious profession. Without 
mutual love, monasteries and convents 
would be worse than dens of thieves. 
This love manifests itself by a cheerful 
readiness to eng-ag-e in friendly and 
courteous conversation with others. Those 
who are habituall}^ morose and sullen in 
their conduct towards others, who shun 
the company of their confreres, who seldom 
have a kind word for others, who are 
bitter and snappish in speech — these are 
a pest to their community, because their 
hearts are devoid of love towards their 
brethren. 

This moroseness may be a natural fault, 
but it renders a person utterly unfit for 
community life, unless it is corrected by 
strenuous and persevering- effort. 



283 

True friendship and love in religious 
families must be supernatural, and com- 
prise all members of the community. 
Private or particular friendships are spuri- 
ous and should not be found amongst 
Religious. They exist only among- tepid, 
lazy, discontented and disagreeable men 
or women. They are the causes of insin- 
cerity, murmurings, detractions, factions 
and endless quarrels. 

Lest we be deceived by appearances we 
will mention a few indications of this 
spurious friendship. 

1. Those who cherish a private and 
particular friendship, frequently meet in 
places, where they are not likely to be 
observed, or at forbidden times; 

2. the}^ come together to talk against 
their confreres, to criticise the superior, 
to murmur against his manner of action, 
to tell each other how they were ill- 
treated etc., etc.; 

3. they secretly tell their friends what 
others may have said about them. They 
are tattlers, who destroy the peace of the 
family and excite discord, rancor and 
spite; they are the devil's willing tools of 
mischief; 

4. they form cliques, have little to say 
to others, shun their company, but always 
form a coterie of their own. 



284 

III. STAGE OF UNION. 



The 27. versicle of the 36. Psalm reads 
as follows: Decline from evil, and do 
good, and dwell forever and ever. Decline 
from evil belongs to the way or stage of 
purgation; and do good belongs to the 
stage of illumination ; and dwell for ever 
and ever belongs to the stage of union. 
The end for which man was created is 
to dwell with God, to be united with 
God. In- the stage of -purgation we re- 
move the obstacles to this union, sins, 
vices, bad habits, etc.; in the stage of 
illumination we dispose and fit the soul 
for this union, by developing the infused 
habits of virtue, and in the stage of union 
the soul begins to enjoy, in this life al- 
ready, a loving union with God. He who 
adhereth to the Lo?'d, is one spirit. (I. Cor. 
6, 17.) 



:o:- 



CHAPTER I. 

§ 1. Union of the Memory with God. 

This union consists in a habitual and 
loving remembrance of God's presence, 
which all masters in the spiritual life 



2S5 

recommend as a most efficacious means to 
a union with God through charity. 

The remembrance of the presence of 
God implies three things: 

1. Frequent, positive acts, by which 
we call to mind the presence of God by 
simple acts of faith, without trying- to 
represent Him to the mind by any material 
form. To picture God to ourselves 
fatigues the mind and is the source of 
many delusions. 

2. Acts of the will or holy affections, 
suggested by the remembrance of the 
presence of God and varied according- to 
the different perfections, which we con- 
sider in God. When we think of the 
infinite majesty of God, before which the 
Angels of heaven tremble, we should 
make an act of adoration; when we think 
of the infinite goodness of God we should 
elicit acts of confidence and hope; when 
we recall to mind the many favors we 
have received from God, we should thank 
Him, etc. By thus varying the acts of 
virtue we will not tire, on the contrary 
we will find pleasure in them. 

3. Knowing that God is always present 
to us, observing every movement and 
action, we should perform all our duties 
perfectly in every detail. This is the 
main object of the remembrance of the 
presence of God. 



286 

The fruits of this loving* remembrance 
are great and manifold. 

a) We overcome temptations more 
easily, because the thoug-ht of the 
presence of God removes bad thoug-hts, it 
instills a salutary fear and causes us to 
take our recourse to God in all dang-ers 
and difficulties. The holy Susanna said: 
It is better for me to fall into your hands 
without doing it, than to sin in the sight 
of the Lord. (Dan. 13, 23,) The thoug-ht 
of God's presence preserved her in the 
hour of temptation. On the other hand, 
those who tried to seduce her perverted 
their own mind, and turning away their 
eyes, that they might not look into heaven 
nor remember just judgment. (Dan. 13, 9.) 
They tried to forg-et God that they mig-ht 
have no restraint in the commission of sin. 

b) We strive after perfection more 
earnestly, because the remembrance of 
God's presence purifies the intention and 
intensifies the fervor in serving- God. 
The Lord said to Abraham: Walk before 
Me and be perfect. (Gen. 17, 1.) 

c) We pray without intermission and 
fulfill the words of Christ: We ought 
always to pray, and not to faint. (Luke 
18, 1.) 

d) We acquire a holy familiarity with 
God and obtain from Him an abundance 
of peace and consolation. Many a visit 



2-7 

does He make to the interior man* sweet 
is His communication with Him. delightful 
His consolation, great His peace and His 

familiarity exceedingly amazing. (Imit. 
of Chr. b. 2. c. 1.) The Psalmist says: 
My soul refused to be comforted : I remem- 
bered God and was delighted. (Ps. 76, 3. 4.) 
e We imitate the Angels and Saints, 
who look upon the face of God and are 
inflamed with rapturous love by the vision 
of God. The Guardian Angels, who are 
always at our side during the time of this 
earthly pilgrimage, carry heaven with 
them, because they ever contemplate the 
majesty of God by the light of glory; so 
also the spiritual man, who keeps God before 
the eves of the soul, will enjoy ineffable 
peace and consolation, no difference what 
the nature of his duties or employment 
may be. 

The means of acquiring a habitual 
remembrance of the -presence of God are: 

1. " The custody of one's cell. If thou 
wouldst find compunction in thy heart, 
enter into thy chamber and shut out the 

tumults of the world Thou wilt 

find in thy cell, what thou wilt often lose 
abroad. 'Thy cell, if thou continue in it. 
grows sweet; but, if thou keep not to it. 
it becomes wearisome. If in the beginning 
of thy conversation thou didst well in- 
habit and keep thy cell, it will be to thee 



288 

ever after a dear friend and a most wel- 
come solace. (Imit. of Chr. b. 1. c 20.) 

2. Silence. In silence and quiet the 
devout soul goes fo?"iva?'d and learns the 
hidden things of the Scriptures. There she 
finds floods of tears, with which she may 
wash and cleanse herself every night, that 
so she may become the more familiar xuith 
her Creator, the further she lives from all 
worldly tumult. For God with the holy 
Angels zvill draw nigh to him, who with- 
draws himself from his acquaintance and 

friends. (Imit. of Chr. Ibid.) 

3. Exclusion of news and rumors. If 
thou hadst not gone abroad and heard 
aught that was said, thou wouldst have 
kept thyself better in good peace; but since 
thou takest pleasure sometimes in hearing 
news thou must thence suffer disturbance of 
heart. (Ibid.) 

4. Caution not to engage in too many 
or useless things and in things that do 
not concern you. The intei'ior man puts 
the care of himself before all other cares; 
and he who diligently attends to himself is 
easily silent with regard to others. (Imit* 
of Chr. b. 2. c. 5.) 

5. Humble prayer. 

6. Mortification of inordinate passions* 
For where your treasure is, there will your 
heart be also. (Luke 12, 34.) Blessed are 
the clean of heart, for they shall see God. 
(Matt. 5, 8.) 



289 

Let us therefore think of God who is 
so present to us that S. Paul could say: 
/;/ Him zl'C live, and we move and zve 
are. (Acts 17, 28.) 

Let us think of Him at the beginning- 
of our prayers and labors, when we are 
assailed by temptations, when we see the 
cross or crucifix, when the clock strikes, 
etc., and let us address ourseves to God 
in a childlike, familiar manner by means 
of ejaculator} r prayers adapted to our 
present needs and circumstances. But let 
us not seek sensible devotion and pleasure 
in the practice of the remembrance of 
God's presence; its whole object is to 
make us do our duties perfect^ in the 
presence of our divine Master, Who says 
to us also: Walk before me and be perfect. 



§ 2. Union of the Intellect with God through 
Faith. 

Faith is a theolog-ical virtue inclining* 
man to believe firmly on the authority of 
God all truths revealed by Him and pro- 
posed by the Church to our belief. When 
faith is joined with the habit of charity 
and manifests itself in corresponding- g-ood 
works, it is called a living-, active faith, 
otherwise it is dead. For as the body 
without the spirit is dead, so also faith with- 
out good works is dead. (James 2, 26.) 
Faith alone is of no avail. Thou believest 

19 



290 

that there is one God. Thou dost well; 
the devils also believe and tremble. (James 

2 > 19 ') 

True faith is that which does not gain- 
say in action what it -professes in words. 
(S. Gregory.) Let us not forget that this 
is the only infallible criterion of our 
faith. 

The necessity of faith is again and 
again asserted and inculcated by the Holy 
Scripture. He that believeth and is baptized 
shall be saved, but he that believeth not 
shall be condemned. (Mark 16, 16.) With- 
out faith it is impossible to please God. 
For he that cometh to God must believe 
that He is and is Rewarder to them that 
seek Him. (Heb. 11, 6.) This faith must 
be firm, and we must believe all things 
that God has revealed. In many things 
they, (the Donatists) agree with me, in a 
few they difer; the many things in which 
they agree will avail them nothing. (S. 
Augustine.) Our faith must be a living 
and active faith, and work through 
charity, for Not every one that saith to 
Me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the 
Kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the 
will of My Father, Who is in heaven, he 
shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven. 
(Matt. 7. 21.) 

The impediments to active faith are: 

1. Negligence in our spiritual exercises, 
which are the ordinary channels of grace 



291 

and heavenly enlightenment. If we make 
our meditation, spiritual reading-, etc. 
from mere routine, they make little or 
no impression upon the soul. 

. 2. Want of good will. We are afraid 
to discover the evil, which we are not 
inclined to correct; hence we do not apply 
the remedies and excuse or even defend 
our slothful lives by fallacious reasoning's. 

3. Pride; S. Paul finds fault with the 
Gentiles and says they are inexcusable. 
Because, that when they had known God, 
they have not glorified Him as God, nor 
given thanks; but became vain in their 
thoughts and their foolish heart became 
darkened. For -professing themselves to be 

wise they became foolish Wherefore 

God gave them tip to the desire of their 
heart. (Rom. 1, 21. 24.) All heresies 
and apostasies have their beginning- in 
pride. 

4. Curiosity, which entices us to read 
books written by the enemies of our faith. 
The reading of such works is always 
dangerous to those who are not well 
versed in Theology, and therefore the 
Church wisely forbids her children to 
read them. 

5. Frequent and unguarded intercourse 
with heretics, sceptics, indifferentisls and 
all others who speak lightly of religion. 
S. John says: If any man come to you 



292 

and bring not this doctrine, receive him 
not into the house, nor say to him: God 
speed yon. (II. 10.) 

When we know the impediments to 
faith, the means will readily suggest 
themselves. 



§ 3. Union of the Will with God through 
Charity. 

The virtue of charity is inseparable 
from sanctifying* grace, and, since charity 
is a bond of union between God and man, 
it follows that God unites Himself with 
all who are in the state of grace. 

But there is another and more perfect 
union of which Christ saj^s: If anyone 
love Me he will keep My word and My 
Father will love him, and We will come 
to him, and make Our abode with him. 
(John 14, 23.) This is the actual union 
by which God moves us to acts of fervent 
charit}^ and to other acts of virtue, 
spring-ing- from charity. If this union is 
frequently interrupted and even destroyed 
by sins, it is only transient and inter- 
mittent; whereas if it causes us to adhere 
steadfastly to God, keep control of all 
our faculties and employ them without 
intermission in the service of God, sub- 
jecting* the lower man to the hig*her, 
and the hig-her without reserve to God — 



293 

then it is the result of perfect and unitive 
charity of which we speak in this chapter. 
The characteristics of unitive charity 
are: 

1. It is unselfish. Friends have all 
things in common. It renounces its own 
judgment, denies its self-will, in all its 
actions and desires it has only one object 
in view, only one incentive — to please 
God. 

2. It is faithful in the smallest thing's; 
it studiously avoids the least imperfec- 
tions, not to speak of sins. 

3. It burns with a holy zeal for the 
spreading* of God's glory; it desires all to 
love Him and grieves at seeing- Him 
offended. 

4. It loves to think of God, for where 
thy treasure is, there is thy heart also. 
(Matt. 6, 21,) 

5. It strives to imitate Christ as closely 
as possible. 

6. In the exercise of virtue and of 
heroic acts it finds no difficulty, but great 
joy and delig-ht. 

The means of obtaining- and developing- 
unitive charity are: 

1. The rememberance of the presence 
of God; 

2. mental prayer; 

3. all kinds of trials and difficulties, 
for g-old is purified by fire; 



294 

4. to do our ordinarv dail}^ duties 
perfectly, with a supernatural intention, 
and then to perform works of supereroga- 
tion with the consent and advice of the 
spiritual director; 

5. perseverance. Therefore my beloved 
brethren, be ye steadfast and immovable; 
always abounding in the wo?'k of the Lord, 
knowing that your labor is not vain in 
the Lo?'d. (I. Cor. 15, 58.) 



PART FIFTH. 



The Religious Vows. 

A vow is a deliberate, voluntary promise 
made to God to do something- that is 
agreeable to Him, althoug-h there be no 
oblig-ation to do it. 

In the world we find three dominant 
passions, namely, an inordinate tendency 
to gratify the unlawful desires of the 
flesh; an inordinate pursuit of material 
riches, and an inordinate striving- after 
honors and preferments. This is what S. 
John teaches, when he says: All that is 
in the world, is the concupiscence of the 
flesh, and concupiscence of the eyes, and 
the pride of life. (John I. 2, 16.)" These 
three passions are great obstacles to per- 
fection and their three counterparts are 
the three essential vows of the religious 
life — Chastity, Poverty and Obedience. 



-:o: 



296 

CHAPTER I. 

The Vow of Poverty. 
§ 1. Essence of the Vow of Poverty. 

The solemn vow of religious poverty is 
a voluntary, act, by which a member of a 
religious order, approved of by the 
Church, out of love to God and a desire 
for perfection oblig*es himself under pain 
of mortal sin to foreg*o forever the right 
to own or possess in his own name any 
temporal g-oods. Persons living* in the 
world may embrace a life of voluntary 
poverty, they may even make a vow of 
poverty as the earliest Christians probably 
did, but the religious vow of poverty is 
found only in orders approved of by the 
Church. 

By the simple vow of poverty the 
Religious does not divest himself of the 
right to own and possess temporal g-oods, 
but he deprives himself of the rig-ht of 
using* them or disposing* of them without 
the permission of his superior. 

Pag-an philosophers have also professed 
and practiced voluntary poverty, but their 
motives were not exalted and virtuous, 
and hence their poverty was not pleasing* 
to God. The value of poverty depends 
principally upon the motives which prompt 



297 

it, and as there can be no more exalted 
and ennobling* motive then the love of 
God and the desire of perfection, there 
can be no more acceptable voluntary 
poverty, than that of Religious, who are 
'actuated by these motives in making- 
their vows. 

In religious communities we find some, 
who have made simple vows for a definite 
time only. At the expiration of this 
time they are perfectly free, and can 
ag-ain acquire, use, and dispose of property 
as they please. 

There is also a simple vow, which is 
perpetual on the part of the Religious 
who makes it, but not on the part of the 
community of which he is a member. 
But the solemn religious profession is 
perpetual also on the part of the order 
and carries with it the oblig-ation of 
providing* for such a member during- the 
time of his natural life. 

There is a difference between the vow 
of poverty and the virtue of poverty. 
The vow of poverty has reference only to 
external acts implying- ownership; but the 
virtue of poverty extends itself also to 
the internal acts and implies a detach- 
ment of the heart from the g-oods of this 
world. The vow of poverty is only a 
means of reaching- perfection in the virtue 
of poverty. The virtue of poverty has a 
wider sphere than the vow of poverty; 



298 

every violation of the vow of poverty is 
also an offense against the virtue of 
poverty but not vice versa. However the 
vow of poverty may sometimes be violated 
by internal acts, when, namely, they imply 
a desire of acting- outwardly against the 
vow; for, a desire, even when there is no 
intention of putting it into effect, invests 
itself with the specific malice of the ex- 
ternal act. 



§ 2. Excellence of Religious Poverty. 

Our Saviour Himself bestowed the highest 
encomium upon voluntary poverty by 
placing it at the head of the eight beati- 
tudes. Blessed, said He, are the poor in 
spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. 
(Matt. 5, 3.) To the young man who had 
asked Him what good he should do that 
he might have life everlasting, He said: 
If thou wilt be -peifect, go sell what thou 
hast and give to the poor and thou shall 
have treasure in .heaven and come follow 
Me. (Matt. 19, 21.) Surely we can find 
no path, which will more securely lead 
us to evangelical perfection, than that 
which was consecrated by the example of 
Christ Himself and of the first Christains. 
All they that believed, were together, and 
had all things common. Their possessions 
and goods they sold and divided them all^ 



299 

according as everyone had need. (Acts 

2, 44. 45.) 

Hence we are not surprised to find that 
the Holy Fathers, as well as all founders 
of religious orders, have at all times 
considered and inculcated voluntary poverty 
as the very basis of religious life. And, 
indeed, how many sins of pride, haughti- 
ness, avarice, debauchery, drunkenness, etc. 
would not be committed, if money did 
not supply the occasions! But the vow of 
povert}^ removes all these dangers to sin. 
.4 man who is truly poor in spirit is not 
disquieted by the care of perishable things; 
his thoughts and desires are centered upon 
God. He minds the things that are above, 
not the things that are' upon earth. (Col. 

3, 2.) St. Gregory compares the riches of 
this world to cumbersome garments, and 
says: If a man, bundled up in clothing, 
wrestles with another, who had thrown off 
all superfluous apparel, he will be easily 
downed, because his clothes offer a good 
hold to his adversary. What are the riches 
of the world but habiliments of the body? 
Whosoever, therefore, enters into conflict 
with the devil, let him cast off his trap- 
pings, that he may not succumb. (32. horn.) 

§ 3. Advantages of Religious Poverty. 

The hundredfold promised by our 
Saviour to those, who leave all for His 



300 

sake, belongs to this life as well as to 
the next. Hence religious poverty offers 
advantages to its votaries for time as 
well as for eternity. They will receive a 
hundred times as much now, in this 
present life, and in the world to come, 
life everlasting. (Mark 10, 30.) They 
receive spiritual riches in this life. S. 
Jerome says: He that renounces carnal 
things out of love to the Savior, will 
receive spiritual thing's, which, in their 
intrinsic value and consequence, hold the 
same proportion to each other, as one 
hundred to a very small number. (1. 3. in 
Matt. c. 19.) 

The truly poor in spirit enjoys an im- 
perturbable serenity of mind. Who can 
imagine anything better, more secure, more 
desirable than voluntary poverty! We see 
those, who seek the goods of this world, 
grozv dejected, we hear their groans, we 
perceive their anxiety ; but this poverty is 
ever cheerful, never emits a sigh, always 
is free of cares. It expecis to gain a 
t?'easure in heaven and has nothing to lose 
on earth! (S. Law. Just, in Lig. Vitae 
c. 4. de Paup.) 

Think of the cares, fatigues and sleep- 
less nights, to which the children of the 
world subject themselves, in gathering 
and preserving the riches of the world! 
Whereas the Religious, without seeking 
it, receives a hundredfold even of the 



301 

material goods of this life. What S. 
Paul says of himself and the other Apos- 
tles, is verified in him. As having nothing, 
and possessing all things. (II. Cor. 6, 10.) 
We see this accomplished every day, and 
Cassian already called attention to it 
when he said: We have left one house 
and ho?ne, and instead we now have as 
many as there are monasteries or convents 
belonging to the Order, of which we have 
beco?ne members. We have said farewell 
to one father and one mother and now zve 
have as many fathers as there are superiors 
in the community in which we live, who 
love us more dearly and are more solici- 
tous for our temporal and spiritual wel- 
fare, than our parents could have been. 
We have left brothers and have found 
many 7nore in religion, who love us with 
a purer and holier love. In like manner 
are we indemnified for everything else 
that zve have forsaken. (Col. ult.) S. 
Bernard says: The avaricious man hungers 
for the things of this world like a beggar, 
the man of faith shows his mastery over 
them by despising them\ the former hoards 
them up and remains a mendicant, the 
latter spurns them and lives in plenty. 

But the greatest worth of religious 
poverty consists in the good things, 
which Christ has promised to bestow 
upon the truly poor, in the life to come. 
Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs 



302 

is the Kingdom of heaven. O, what 
blessedness is this, to receive great things 
for trifles, eternal riches for perishable 

goods, to have God our debtor. 

(S. Jerome ep. 150.) Amen, I say to you, 
that you who (having- left all thing's) have 
follozved Me, in the regeneration, when 
the Son of man shall sit on the seat of 
His majesty, you also shall sit on twelve 
seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 
(Matt. 19, 28.) According- to the Holy 
Fathers, this promise of Christ is to be 
understood of all those Christians and 
particularly of Religious, who have fol- 
lowed • the example of the Apostles in 
leaving- all thing's for God's sake, and 
profess and practice voluntary poverty. 
Such will receive a special reward in 
heaven, in which those who have possess- 
ed and enjoyed the g*oods of this world 
even in a lawful way, will have no share. 

§ 4. Obligations Resulting from the Solemn Vow 
of Poverty. 

A Religiotis, who has bound himself by 
the solemn vow of poverty, is oblig-ed to 
foreg-o every rig-lit and act implying* pro- 
prietorship in reg-ard to all temporal g*oods, 
whether movable or immovable, unless the 
Holy See expressl} 7 grants a dispensation 
or at least a relaxation from the strict 
oblig-ation of the vow. Such a Religious 



303 

has the right of using- things belonging 
to the community under the direction of 
his superior, and nothing more. 
. The laws of the Church have made the 
solemn vow of poverty an impediment to 
proprietorship in the same way as they 
have made the solemn vow of chastity an 
impediment to Matrimony. No Religious 
of cither sex shall possess or hold as 
personal property, or even in the name of 
the community, movable or immovable goods 
of whatever kind, no difference how they 
may have been acquired; but all such goods 
must at once be handed over to the 
superior and made part of the community 
property. Henceforth no superior shall 
grant to any Religious the usufruct, use 
or commendation of any real estate. The 
administration of the possessions of monas- 
teries or convents shall belong exclusively 
to the officials of the communities, who 
hold office only so long as the superior 
7nay desire them to do so. The superior 
shall permit the use of movable things in 
such a way, that everything be in keeping 
with the state of poverty, which all have 
professed ; they should have nothing super- 
fluous, and what is necessary should not 
be withheld fro?n them. Should anyone 
be found guilty of a violation of this 
regulation, he shall be deprived of his 
active and passive vote for two years, and 
be punished according to the rule and 



304 

statutes of his oi'der. (Trid. sess. 25', c. 
2, de Reg*, et Mon.) What our holy 
Rule prescribes in this matter, chap. 23, 
should be read and carefully noted. 

That the vow of poverty binds under 
mortal sin, is apparent not only from the 
decrees of Pontiffs and Councils, but also 
from the severe punishment laid down in 
the rules of all Religious Orders for the 
violation of this vow. 

The inability to own property has refer- 
ence only to the individual Religious, not 
to the entire community as the Council of 
Trent (sess 25, c. 8, de Reg. et Mon.) has 
expressly declared. However, even religi- 
ous communities have not the rig-lit of 
absolute ownership of temporal g-oods; 
they can use such g-oods onl}^ for the 
proper sustenance of themselves, and for 
pious purposes. Hence, they cannot sell 
or otherwise dispose of real estate, lands, 
houses, etc., or of valuable movable 
property without the permission of the 
Holy See. 

It migiit be said that such ownership 
of temporal thing's is an impediment to 
perfection in religious communities, that 
it implies much care for earthly g-oods, 
that Religious migiit become attached to 
the thing's, which they- possess, that 
riches are a source of distractions, etc. 
The answer to this objection is simple; 
that care of temporal thing's, which is 



305 

necessary, which, moreover, springs from 
a love of God and our neighbor is not 
excessive; and again, it is limited to a 
few, namely to the superiors and officials 
of communities. Excesses and abuses 
will indeed creep in, but it is morally 
impossible to avoid them entirely. 



Inferences:. 

1. Without the permission of his 
superior, no Religious can accept, retain, 
consume, destroy, exchange, lend, sell, 
donate or apply to his own use anything 
upon which a price can be set. 

2. Every transfer of any such temporal 
thing, made by a private Religious on 
his own responsibility, is null and void, 
and carries with it the obligation to re- 
stitute. 

3. A Religious, who often and advert- 
ently receives, gives or uses little things 
without permission, exposes himself to the 
greatest danger of committing mortal sin, 
because he will by and by transgress his 
vows in things great enough to constitute 
the matter of a grievous sin. 

4. In virtue of this vow the Religious 
must be ready at all times to give up the 
possession and use of anything and every- 
thing that may have been given to him; 
he is therefore not allowed to hide any- 

20 



306 

thing- from his superiors, or to murmur 
should anything* be taken from him by 
the superior. 

5. When a Religious receives anything- 
to be used for a certain specified purpose, 
he cannot use it for any other purpose, 
because the permission which he has, 
does not imply a choice of object, no 
matter how g-ood the object may be. 

6. A Religious cannot dispose of thing's, 
which are the results of his own abstemi- 
ousness or economy; whatever is gained 
by a Religious even by living- sparingly, 
belong-s to the community of which he is 
a member. 

7. Every Religious is oblig-ed to take 
g-ood care of all thing-s given to him for 
use. Articles of clothing- are given only 
for necessary use, hence a Religious would 
violate poverty by using- his best clothes 
for every day wear. 

8. The procurator and others, who 
ha^e charge of the business affairs of the 
community, cannot give, expend, and dis- 
burse as they please, but only in accord- 
ance with the monastic rule and and the 
direction of their superiors, and within 
the sphere of the power conferred upon 
them. 

9. Abbots and other superiors sin 
ag-ainst the vow of poverty and the virtue 

. of justice, if they dispose of the tempor- 
alities of their communities in violation 



307 

of their rule or an established custom, or 
against the will of higher superiors, 
because the}' are not the owners, but only 
the administrators of goods, which are 
the common property of all members of 
fhe religious family. Even with the con- 
sent of the chapter the}' cannot expend 
the revenues of the community for things 
that are not necessary or of no benefit to 
religion. 

§ 5. What things a Religious may posses in his 

own right and name without violating 

the Vow of Poverty. 

The vow of poverty excludes the owner- 
ship of those things only, upon which a 
money price can be set. Hence we rightl}' 
infer: 

1. A Religious has a right to his good 
name; he can therefore defend it without 
the consent, but not against the will of 
his superior, because even spiritual rights 
are subject to the will of the superior 
in virtue of the vow of obedience, when 
the rule or religious discipline demands 
it. But we must not forget that whilst a 
Religious retains the right of vindicating 
his good name, true humility and religi- 
ous perfection often prompt or even require 
us to forego our right and permit our- 
selves to be misjudged or even maligned 
by others. 



308 

2. He retains all his spiritual rights 
and privileges, e. g\, his right of casting 
or receiving votes, the right to absolve, 
etc. 

3. He can receive and keep relics of 
the Saints, because no mone}^ price can 
be set upon them; but if the reliquaries 
are valuable he cannot retain them. 
Medals, holy pictures, roasaries, etc. fall 
under the vow and can therefore not be 
owned by the Religious. The manuscripts, 
etc. of a Religious are not a subject 
matter of the vow and he can therefore 
lawfully claim them as his own, but he 
cannot dispose of them at will if the 
material has been furnished bj^ the com- 
munity. 

4. The natural and supernatural acts 
of a Religious, e. g., praying, preaching, 
saying Mass, etc. do not fall under the 
vow of poverty, but under the vow of 
obedience. 



§ 6. On the Permission required that a Religi- 
ous may receive or dispose of temporal 
goods without violating the 
Vow of Poverty. 

When permission is granted, the Religi- 
ous does not act of his own accord.' 
Permission is sometimes given in words or 
some other outward sign, and then it is 



309 

called express. It may also be inferred 
from some act or insinuation of the 
superior, or from his silence, or some 
established usage. With regard to a 
superior the exiom, silence gives consent, 
holds good, provided he knows what is 
done and can readily refuse his consent. 
Such a permission is called tacit. There 
is also a presumed permission, when we 
reasonably presuppose that the superior 
would surely grant it if he were asked. 

Any permission, in order that it may be 
valid and licit before God, must not 
exceed the authority of him, who grants 
it. It must not be forced from the 
superior by fear or undue pressure; it 
must not be obtained fraudulently, by 
advancing false reasons, nor surreptiti- 
ously, by with-holding the truth from the 
superior. No permission can be given for 
anything- that is sinful in itself. 

We must be exceedingly careful not to 
extend the tacit permission of our superior 
beyond all reasonable bounds. In commu- 
nities, observant of religious discipline, 
such permission is granted only in small 
matters of frequent recurrence. Customs 
are often destructive to the monastic 
spirit; hence they do not always excuse 
or justify our actions. 

A tacit permission is rightly inferred, 
when the permission to do one thing is 
implied in the permission or command to 



310 

do something* else; e. g\ the permission 
to make a trip implies everything- that 
is necessary to make that trip. 

That permission may be legitimately 
presumed, it is not sufficient to know that 
the permission would be granted if asked 
for, otherwise it would scarcely ever be 
necessan^ to ask it, nor can a superior 
expressly or otherwise give his subjects to 
understand that they may always presume 
his permission in matters not in them- 
selves sinful, because such a proceeding* 
on the part of the superior and the com- 
munity would necessarily be subversive of 
all religious discipline. 

Permission may be presumed only 

1. when it cannot be asked for; 

2. in matters of minor importance; 

3. when an action cannot be deferred; 

4. when it is morally certain that the 
superior would give permission. 

Should a Religious acquire anything- on 
the streng-th of a presumed permission, 
he must report the fact to his superior 
without unnecessary delay, for the vow 
of poverty not only forbids him to receive, 
but also to retain temporal g-oods. If in 
the judg-ment of a Religious the superior 
should grant the permission if it could be 
asked for, yet would not give it, he can 
not presume it, because inferiors would 
too easily persuade themselves that the 



311 

superior is acting* imprudently in denying 
them permission, and hence they could 
presume permission for almost anything-, 
to the great detriment of monastic rule. 



§ 7. Superfluous Things. 

We call those thing's superfluous, which 
are not necessary to our state or station 
in life. A Religious is bound in virtue of 
the vow of poverty, as explained by the 
council of Trent, to put away and to keep 
away everything superfluous, and even the 
superior cannot give a valid permission 
to the contrary. Should the Religious be 
in doubt as to whether something given 
to him be really necessary, he may use it 
if the superior who gave it is commonly 
considered a conscientious person. 

A Religious can not be excused from 
sin, if he is not content with the diet or 
clothing furnished to the rest of the com- 
munity; if he finds fault with the economy 
of his superior, if he secretly procures for 
himself wines and delicacies, silk cinctures, 
fine or costly habits or other clothing, etc., 
or if his cell resembles a store-room of little 
curiosities, chests, pictures, boxes orna- 
ments, fancy books and other what-nots. 

Whole communities, but particularly the 
superiors, become guilty of violations of 
poverty, if they appropriate the revenues 



312 

of the monastery or convent to useless 
purposes, palatial buildings, etc. 

§ 8. Degrees of Poverty. 

The first or lowest degree of poverty is 
found in the Religious, who accepts, 
retains or disposes of nothing temporal 
without the permission of superiors and 
keeps for his private use nothing that is 
not necessary. S. Bernard I ep. 341. • 
deplores the folly of many Religious, who, 
after leaving behind them comfortable 
homes and great riches, seriously violate 
the vow of poverty in their monasteries, 
by allowing their hearts to grow attached 
to trifles, such as particular pictures. 
books, clocks, etc.. and thus expose them- 
selves to the danger of eternal perdition. 
They have heroically broken the strong 
ropes by which they were bound to 
kindred, home, fame and fortune and now 
they foolishly bind themselves to the 
world by spiders' threads. Our -profession 
requires us to seek poverty^ and not only 
to remove from ourselves the goods of this 
worlds but also to root out from our hearts 
every attachment or desire for them. 
(Euseb. horn. 4. ad Monach.) Exactly so. 
for religious poverty is poverty of spirit; 
its aim is to remove everything that 
might estrange us from God. and nothing 
turns us away from Him so quickly as 



313 

the inordinate attachment which we have 
to creatures. 

The second degree of poverty is found 
in him, who not only carefully wards off 
from himself everything* superfluous, but 
also cheerfully bears the privations and 
hardships inseparably connected with 
genuine poverty. Some would like to 
be poor, so however, that they may still 
have everything they want. (S. Bernard 
serm. 4. de Advent.) Religious have 
entered monasteries and convents in order 
to crucify their flesh with its concupis- 
cences, and to make atonement for their 
own and others' sins, and yet we find 
them sometimes to be more intent upon 
delicacies and comforts than the rich of 
the world. This is the poverty which so 
frequently is a source of scandal to 
seculars! 

The third degree of poverty consists in 
not only patiently bearing- its discomforts, 
but in even seeking them, and in cheer- 
fully availing ourselves of the occasions 
of practicing religious poverty. Then we 
fulfill to the letter what S. Benedict says 
in his Rule: A monk should be content 
with whatever is mean and most humilia- 
ting. (Omni vilitate et extremitate con- 
tentus sit monachus.) Cap. 7. gr. 6. This 
is the poverty which Christ, the Apostles 
and early Christians practiced. This is 
the poverty, to which a hundredfold is 



314 

promised, because it alone leaves every- 
thing- for the love of God. This is the 
poverty, which leads those, who sincerely 
cultivate it % to the heights of evangelical 
perfection, because it removes them from 
every inordinate attachment to the things 
of this world. 

§ 9. Practice of Poverty in Dress. 

1. Let holy simplicity and religious 
modesty characterize your dress, and re- 
move from it everything- that savors of 
worldly vanity. Ven. Blosius says: Do 
not imitate those vain Religions, who are 
ashamed of their state of poverty, but not 
of their irreligiotis spirit. When they are 
to appear before seculars, we see them dress 
up in exquisite style. Their clothes must 
be of the best 7naterial and made sh'ictly 
in accordance with the latest fashion. They 
are asha7ned of a garment in keeping with 
their rule and the regulations laid down 
by the Fathers. They appear not as 
hmnble monks but rather as dainty, fastidi- 
ous courtiers. They show by their dress 
that their interior is full of pride, 
effeminacy and vain glory, and excite a 
feeling of sadness and indignation in sensi- 
ble men, and provoke the devil Jmnself to 
ridicule and derision. (Spec. Monach.) 
. 2. Let the form or cut of your dress 
be in keeping- with the usage of your 



315 

community. Be content with the quality 
of the material procured by the officials, 
and when you must select it yourself, 
choose that which is cheaper and coarser, 
and let there be nothing- superfluous or 
unnecessary in your wardrobe. In the 
dress of God^s servants there should be 
nothing new-fashioned, nothing unnecessary \ 
nothing savoring of pride or vain glory. 
(S. Bern. serm. 3. ad Sor.) The rule of 
S. Benedict says: "The brethren should 
find no fault with the color or quality of 
their clothes, but be satisfied with that 
which can be obtained at the cheapest price 
in the place where they live" (chap. 55.) 
But we must remember that cheapness 
is not synonymous with uncleanliness. 
Our dress must be respectable and not 
repulsive. Even S. Benedict requires that 
when we appear in public we should be 
dressed a little better than usual, (chap. 55.) 

§ 10. Practice of Poverty in Diet. 

1. A Religious must never forget that he 
is poor; hence he should thankfully accept 
what the superiors and officials provide 
for his corporal refection. 

2. He should content himself with 
ordinary diet; he should not hanker after 
delicacies or expensive dishes, nor procure 
them for himself secretly or with the 
extorted permission of his superior. Let 



316 

him be on his guard lest iniquity lie to 
itself. (Ps. 26, 12.) We are so apt to 
consider necessary what is nothing* but 
an inordinate appetite of the sensual man. 

3. Let him beware of imitating* those, 
who, whilst when they were in the world, 
had scarcely sufficient to still their 
hunger, yet now when they have entered 
the monastery or convent, where thej 
should crucify the flesh with its evil 
tendencies, are found to complain of the 
incompetency of the cooks, the careless- 
ness of officials, the stinginess of super- 
iors, the want of spices and the monotony 
of their diet. To such a Religious the 
words of S. Jerome ma}^ be well applied: 
I was born in a hut, tinder a roof of straw, 
and, as I grew up, had scarcely enough 
millet and coarse bread to satisfy my hunger; 
but now I grow tired of the finest wheat- 
bread and honey; I can tell the various 
kind oj fishes and can call them by their 
proper names; when I eat clams I can tell 
you on what shore they were taken, and by 
the tastes of meats I can tell the province 
whence they come, (ad Nepotianum,) So 
it is; at one time he was a beggar, now 
he is a fastidious, poor monk! 

4. Let him be very careful to be 
moderate in eating but particularly in 
drinking. Intemperance in food and drink 
is not only a violation of poverty but also 
dangerous to chastity. When the stomach 



317 

is surfeited lustful desires are excited. (S. 
Gregory.) 

§ 11. Practice of Poverty in Cell and Furniture. 

1. The Religious should not desire to 
occupy one of the larger or more com- 
modious cells; let him content himself 
with the one that has been assigned to 
him by his superiors. 

2. He should from time to time care- 
fully examine his cell, and remove every- 
thing that is superfluous or in any way 
opposed to the poverty which he has 
vowed. 

3. His cell should be neither gorgeous 
nor filty. 

4. In the use of necessary things, he 
should practice economy; e. g. it is a 
praiseworth}^ act of poverty not to use a 
lamp or candle when it is not necessary. 
The truly poor takes conscientious care 
even of trifling things. He should be 
solicitous about everything that has been 
given to his use, and not allow am^thing 
to be soiled, destroyed or permaturely 
consumed through his neglect. Whoever 
handles the goods of the monastery in a 
careless and slovenly manner, shall receive 
a reprimand, but if this avails not, he 
must endure the punishment which the 
Rule provides. (Holy Rule chap. 32.) 
"Let him consider all the furniture and 



318 



goods of the monastery, as vessels con- 
secrated to the altar" (Ibid. chap. 31.) 



-:o:- 



CHAPTER II. 

The Vow of Chastity. 
§ 1. Nature of Religious Chastity. 

Chastity is a virtue, which restains the 
inordinate desire of an indulgence in 
sexual pleasures, and excludes all sinful 
thoughts, words and actions contrary to 
purity. 

We distinguish a threefold chastity, 
that of virgins, that of widows and 
widowers, and that of married persons. 
Virginal chastity in its less strict sense 
is a firm and effective resolve of the will 
to abstain forever from every willful 
venereal act, whether internal or external, 
whether in the married or the single 
state. This resolve sealed by a solomn 
promise, in an Order approved of by the 
Church, constitutes religious chastity in its 
strict sense, and supposes a perfect im- 
munity from every willful venereal con- 
tamination of the body. The solemn vow 
of religious chastity is an impediment to 
the validity of any matrimonial contract, 
which a Religious might attempt to enter. 



319 

It annuls all antecedent promises of mar- 
riage and even dissolves the marriage tie, 
if it has not }^et been consummated. 

Holy Scripture, and the works of the 
Fathers are so replete with the praises of 
chastity, that it is unnecessary to particu- 
larize them here. 



§ 2. Obligations assumed through the Vow 
of Chastity. 

Ever}^ Religious, in virtue of his vow 
of Chastit}% be it simple or solemn, is 
obliged to be chaste in mind and bod}\ 
It is the common opinion of Theologians 
that all sins directly against chastity are 
mortal, if committed with full delibera- 
tion and full consent. Hence, even 
interior complacency and unchaste desires 
are mortally sinful, if fully deliberate and 
voluntary, and in a Religious they are 
also sacrileges. 

There are some sins which are more or 
less opposed to purity, and which neverthe- 
less are only venial sins, because they are 
committed without any complacency, e. g. 
unchaste words spoken out of levity, looks 
upon persons of the other sex, which 
spring from curiosity, etc.; but even these 
sins may become mortal on account of 
scandal or some other circumstance. 



320 

§ 3. Principal Dangers to Chastity. 

1. Intemperanee in eating and drinking. 
Gluttony and drunkenness are prolific 
sources of concupiscence, which resides in 
and spring's from the flesh. Behold this 
was the iniquity of Sodo?n, thy sister, 
-pride, fullness of bread and abundance, 
and the idleness of her and her daughters, 
(Ezech. 16, 44.) Be not drunk with wine, 
wherein is luxury. (Eph. 5, 18.) Midst 
surfeiting' and drunkenness concupiscence 
gains the ascendency \ (S. Jerome, 1. I. in 
Ep. ad Tit.) Experience also teaches 
that most sins of impurity are committed 
after excessive eating- and drinking-. 

2. Idleness. Idleness has taught much 
evil. (Eccli. 33, 29.) Let us shun idle- 
ness as the most dangerous pitfall of 
chastity. We are not holier than David, 
not wiser than Solomon nor stronger than 
Samson. (S. Aug-, ser. 12. ad Fratres in 
Eremo.) 

Daily experience teaches that many sins 
ag-ainst chastity have their sources in 
idleness. By our very nature we are so 
constituted that we continually desire 
something- wherewith to occupy ourselves, 
and hence, if our time is not taken up 
with lawful and useful occupations, we 
will very soon turn to unlawful thing's, 
and very likely we will direct our atten- 
tention to those thing's, towards which 



321 

we are most vehemently drawn b}- our 
weak nature. Then, too, the devil is 
ever ready with his temptations; hence 
the wise admonition of S. Jerome: Always 
be doing something that the devil may 
ulways find you occupied, (ep. 4.) 

3. Pride. God permits the proud to 
fall into the most shameful sins, that they 
may open their ej^es to their own vileness 
and misery. 

Everyone that exalteth himself, shall be 
humbled. (Luke 18, 14.) Of the Gentiles 
it is said: They became vain in their 
thoughts and their foolish heart was 

darkened Wherefore God gave them 

up to the desire of their heart, unto 
uncleanness ; to dishonor their own bodies 
among themselves. (Rom. 1, 21. 24.) The 
lives of those, who apostatize from 
religion, confirm the truth of what has 
been said. They do not fall into the 
depths of wickedness all at once, but 
gradually. The beginning of their decline 
is usually found in pride and self-will. 
They refuse to be subject to others, they 
want to be free and independent, they 
trust in -their own sufficiency, they expose 
themselves recklessly to all kinds of occa- 
sions to sin, and, because God resists the 
proud, they throw themselves headlong 
into the mire of impurities, and then, 
because they cannot and will not bear the 
consequent shame and confusion with a 

21 



322 

tranquil and repentant heart, they fall 
into despair and leave the monastery or 
convent. 

4. Ungarded senses, especially the eyes. 
Wanton eyes, says Yen Bede, betray an 
unchaste heart. And, indeed, unless we 
mortify our eyes by keeping' a careful 
watch over them, they will occasion or 
recall dangerous thoughts and representa- 
tions, which excite the passions, like a 
spark starts a conflagration, and often 
expose us to the proximate danger of sin. 
(David.) 

Scripture tells us that it is dangerous 
to look fixedly into the face of persons 
of the opposite sex. Gaze not upon a 
maiden, lest her beauty be a stumbling- 
block to thee. (Kccli. 9, 5.) The gazing 
upon a woman is an arrow steepetl in 
poison, which pierces the soul and instills 
poison: and the longer it continues the 
more the wound will fester. (S. Nilus or. 
2. Adv.) Hence Job (31, 1.) made a 
covenant with his eyes that he might not 
so much as think upon a virgin. Other 
Saints have done the same thing, how 
much more does it behoove us to use the 
same caution. 

5. Unguarded conversations with persons 
of the opposite sex. If it is so dangerous 
to chastity to gaze upon a woman, it is 
still more perilous to engage in frivolous 
conversation with her, particularly if she 



323 

be 3'oung* and beautiful. Women make 
wise men fall off. (Eccli. 19, 2.) To be 
ahvays with a woman and not sin with a 
woman, is it not more than to raise the 
dead to life? What is less you cannot do, 
and you ask me to believe that yon can do 
that which is greater .... you wish to 
be considered continent? It may be that 
you are, but I have my suspicions. You 
are a scandal to me; remove the cause of 
the scandal and make good your boast that 
you are a follower of the Gospel. (S. 
Bern, in Cant. serm. 66.) 

Even with pious women we should not 
be on terms of familiarity. Such famil- 
iarities usually have their origin in some 
kind of piety, but they gradually degener- 
ate. By degrees, says Blosius,. the hearts 
are ensnared and wounded by a sense of 
pleasure, they begin to feel temptations, 
and at last that, which in the beginning 
they seem to do well and from spiritual 
motives, degenerates into passion and 
sensuality. 

Even in the confessional great care is 
required, for there such colloquies may 
become dangerous on account of the near- 
ness of the person, and, frequently, also 
on account .of the matter of confession. 

Let us put our zeal to a test whether 
it be truly from God. We have cause to 
suspect ourselves if we find that we are 
more ready to hear the confessions of 



324 

women than of men, or that we keep 
women longer in the confessional than men. 

For the same reason we should avoid 
that dangerous familiarity and intimacy, 
which sometimes springs up between 
persons of the same sex, especially between 
older persons and handsome or comely 
children. With good reason S. Ephrem, (de 
Vita Spir. n. 11.) recommends a watchful 
care over the eyes, when we speak to 
persons, in whom youth and beauty are 
combined. Unguarded looks on such occa- 
sions cause even sturdy and masculine 
minds to become soft and effeminate. S. 
Pachomius dictated severe punishments 
for those who were caught laughing and 
playing with boys. 

6. Cariosity. As the eyes become a 
source of dangerous representations and 
temptations, if we allow them to rest upon 
objects fraught with peril to holy purity, 
so also the curious reading of books treat- 
ing on similar subjects is very prejudicial 
to the virtue and vow of chastity. We 
are apt to justify such reading with the 
excuse that we have no other object in 
view than -to gain information. But is it 
prudent to gain such knowledge at such 
a risk? 

For priests such knowledge is indispensa- 
ble in the confessional; but experience 
teaches how dangerous, even for them, is 
the reading of cases which involve matter 



325 

against holy purity. Let them, therefore, 
be on their guard and not read such 
treatises from morbid curiosity, rather 
than from an honest desire of fitting 
themselves for their high calling. Let 
them fortify themselves with prayer before 
thej^ read such things or listen to them 
in the confessional, and disown and resist 
impure thoughts and representations before 
they arise. 

There are some passages even in Holy 
Scripture, which are dangerous, especially 
to those who are assaulted by violent 
temptations against purity. (Holy Rule 
chap. 42.) 

§ 4. Means of Preserving Chastity. 

1. Humble prayer joined with a great 
distrust of oneself and childlike confidence 
in God. And as I knew that I could not 
otherwise be continent except God gave it, 
and this also was a point of wisdom, to 
know whose gift it was: I went to the 
Lord and besought Him, (Wis. 8, 21.) 

Man, by nature prone to evil and still 
more corrupt in consequence of his own 
sins, cannot withstand a violent, tempta- 
tion, especially against chastity, without 
the grace of God. This grace is given 
in response to humble prayer. Hence our 
Lord taught us to pray: And lead us not 
into temptation, and distrust of oneself 



326 

and unlimited confidence in God are 
necessary conditions of prayer. Our 
prayers will also be more efficacious if 
seconded by the intercessions of the 
Blessed Virgin, our Guardian Angel, S. 
Joseph, S. Benedict, S. Aloysius and other 
holy patrons. 

2. Avoidance of occasions. He that 
loveth danger shall -perish in it. (Eccli. 
3, 27.) To such presumptious persons 
God is wont to deny His grace, and justly 
so. For those who voluntarily expose 
themselves to such dang-ers, either put 
their trust in themselves or they do not. 
If they do, then God will demolish their 
pride and presumption and let them feel 
their weakness; if they place no confidence 
in themselves, then the very fact that they 
expose themselves to the dang*er of com- 
mitting- a grievous sin is already sinful. 

Thing's that are far away, if they are 
pictured to us by the imagination, often 
call forth most violent temptations, should 
we then not fear their presence? 

We should carefully avoid not only 
those occasions, which are apt to excite 
lustful desires in us, but also those, which 
tend to enkindle an inordinate or sensual 
affection for others in our hearts. 

3. .4 moderate use of the discipline. 
We have no more dang-erous enemy than 
our own flesh. Therefore, just as the 
flesh continually lusts ag^ainst the spirit, 



327 

so the spirit should wage a continual war 
against the flesh. (Gal. 5, 17.) The 
more you pamper to the flesh the more it 
will rebel against you. 

* By a moderate use of the discipline 
you will make atonement to God for your 
sins, you will acquire the habit of over- 
coming- yourself manfully, and if you of 
your own volition punish the flesh, you 
will more readily deny it unlawful gratifica- 
tions. If thy right hand scandalize thee y 
cut it off. (Matt. 5, 20.) So the Saints 
have done. 

As means of practicing this mortifica- 
tion of the flesh we may mention: 

a) Moderate fasting. This kind (of 
devils) is not cast out, but by -prayer, and 

fasting. (Matt. 17, 20.) 

b) A hard bed, the use of hair shirts 
and the discipline. In this way should 
we trample in the dust and humble our 
proud flesh and the angel of satan who 
buffets us, and when we are assailed by 
some violent temptation we should at 
once extinguish the incipient flame of 
voluptuousness by inflicting some sensible 
pain upon the flesh. We have the heroic 
examples of S. Benedict, S. Bernard and 
many other Saints. But in all such 
mortifications we should allow ourselves 
to be guided by our spiritual director, 
lest we go beyond the bounds of prudence. 



328 

c) A strict custody over our senses, 
especially the eyes, of which we have 
spoken above. 

4. Earnest consideration of the four 
last things. The death of the wicked is 
very evil. When, therefore, the devil 
tempts us to sin ag-ainst holy purity, let 
us ask ourselves whether we desire to die 
this very evil death of the wicked, and if 
not, let us avoid that which would expose 
us to the dang-er of dying* such a death. 

What shame and confusion for a Religi- 
ous when he shall see his hidden sins 
exposed to the light! There is a sense of 
shame in us which would deter us from 
the commission of such sins in the 
presence of any human being", and yet we 
know for certain that on the great day 
all our secret sins will be exposed to 
view before the whole world! When 
assailed by such temptations, let us look 
down into the depths of hell and say 
with the prophet: "Which of you can 
dwell with devouring fire; which of you 
shall dwell with everlasting burning" (Is. 
33, 14.) A certain holy man, to over- 
come such temptations, was in the habit 
of putting- his fing*er into the flame of a 
burning" candle, and when he felt the 
the heat, he would say to himself: Tou 
cannot endure the heat of this little fire 
for a moment; how shall you endure the 
heat of hell-fire? Well does Holy Scrip- 



329 

ture admonish us: "Remember thy last 
end and thou s/ia/t never sin." (Eccli. 7, 40.) 

5. A candid manifestation. The rule 
of S. Benedict directs us to break all evil 
'thoughts that arise, against the rock, 
which is Christ, and to manifest them to 
our spiritual director, (chap. 4, inst. 50. 
and chap. 46.) Experience teaches that 
this is a most efficacious means against 
all illusions of the devil. 



§ 5. How to behave when actually assailed 
by Temptations against Chastity. 

It is certainly not sinful to have bad 
thoughts or to suffer inordinate move- 
ments of the flesh; we must only not 
yield our consent to them or take willful 
pleasure in them, or cause them either 
directly or indirectly. God often permits 
the holiest men to experience the most 
violent temptations of the flesh. (S. Paul.) 
When we feel our inclination to that 
which is evil, and our own weakness, then 
we remain humble, we are kept on our 
guard and flee from danger, when it is 
still remote; we seek refuge with God, we 
gain merits for ourselves and learn to 
sympathize with the fallen and help them 
to rise. But the following rules will be 
found serviceable: 



330 

1. Do not in any way give occasion to 
the temptation. 

2. As soon as you notice an impure 
thought or impure movement of the flesh, 
turn away your mind from the object 
which excites you; shake of the impure 
thought as you would a fiery coal falling 
upon your garment. Turn your mind 
upon something that is apt to distract 
you from the bad thought. 

3. Should the temptation still continue, 
take your recourse to prayer, and make a 
most positive act of resistance. In such 
temptations it is not sufficient to be 
merely passive, i. e. neither to assent nor 
dissent; such passiveness looks very much 
like consent and is at best very danger- 
ous. 

4. Should the temptation become more 
violent, pray more fervently, invoke the 
Blessed Virgin and other Saints, and do 
not give up in despair. God is faithful, 
Who will not suffer you to be tempted above 
that which you are able, but will make also 
with temptation issue that you may be able 
to bear it, (I. Cor. 10, 13.) The more 
fierce the battle, the more glorious the 
victory. 

5. Be not over-anxious, beware of 
scruples and do not manifest your interior 
struggle by outward signs, such as shak- 
ing the head, etc. Only one thing is 



necessary; if you can say with your whole 
heart: I would rather die than be denied 

by s«», all hell becomes powerless. But if 
you gain the victory be careful not to 
ascribe it to yourself, but give glory to 

God Whose mighty arm supported you in 
the conflict. If. however, you should 
have suffered defeat then 

1 do not give way to dejection or 
despair, but have confidence in the infinite 
goodness of God. Who Hoes not desire the 
death of the sinner but thet he be con- 
verted and live. 

2 Beg-in at once to do penance, and 
without a moment's delay make an act of 
perfect contrition: humble yourself before 
God and rise manfully from your fall. 

3. Make good use of the sad experience 
you have gained, and resolve to avoid more 
carefully the occasions of sin and to apply 
the means of preserving chastity more 
diligently. 

4. Impose some vindictive punishment 
upon yourself. 

5. Pray more earnestly for the gift of 
perseverance. 



-:o:- 



332 

CHAPTER III. 

The Vow of Obedience. 

§ 1. Nature of Religious Obedience. 

By Religious obedience we understand 
that vow, by which a Relgious obliges 
himself to obey his superior as the repre- 
sentative of Christ, in all things that are 
not evidently sinful and that are in accord- 
ance with the rule, on which he makes 
his religious profession. 

Faith is, therefore, the basis of religi-. 
ous obedience. He that heareth you hear- 
eth Me. (Luke 10, 16.) It is all the same 
whether God Himself or man as the repre- 
sentative of God commands; in either case 
we must obey with the sa?ne alacrity and 
reverence, (S. Bern, de Praecep. et Dis. 
c. 9. n. 19. 

S. Paul expresses the same idea when 
he says: Whatsoever you do, do it from 
the heart as to the Lord, and not to men. 
(Col. 3, 23.) If we are deeply conscious 
of the fact that our superiors are vested 
with divine authority, then it will be an 
easy matter for us to obey them even in 
things that are in themselves very difficult. 
We must obey for God's sake, and not 
allow human respect or fear, selfishness or 
any other improper motive to tarnish our 
obedience. 



333 

§ 2. Excellence of the Vow of Obedience. 

S. Thomas advances three reasons to 
show that the vow of obedience is the 
greatest of all religious vows. 

1. By it we make a greater offering to 
God than by any other vow. 

2. It includes all the others. Hence in 
the Benedictine formula of profession the 
vows of poverty and chastity are not even 
mentioned. 

3. It offers us greater assistance in 
attaining the end of the religious life. S. 
Gregory (1. 35, Mor.) says that obedience 
develops and preserves all the other vir- 
tues. Obedience is better than sacrifices. 
(I. Kings 15, 22.) S. Augustine says: 
Tou may fast and fray day and night, 

you may put on sackcloth and ashes, but 
if you are not obedient you have lost all 
other virtues. Your obedience is worth more 
than all the rest put together. (De Obed. 
et Humil.) Christ Himself is the great 
model of obedience, for He was obedient 
even unto death. 

§ 3. Efficacy of Eeligious Obedience. 

Religious obedience renders all our 
works, even the most insignificant and 
indifferent, most pleasing to God and 
highly meritorious to ourselves, Ven. 



334 

Blosius says: // is better to deny one's 
own will and to weed out briars, than to 
follow one's own will and engage in the 
most exalted contemplation. 

The oblation of one's own will is a 
sacrifice most agreeable to God, and we 
can never be more certain that we are 
doing- the will of God, than when we 
execute the legitimate behests of our 
superior. He that heareth you heareth me. 
O, how many are the meritorious actions 
of on obedient Religious, whose every act 
throughout the day is dictated and sea- 
soned by obedience! 

§ 4. Security and Peace of Soul Resulting 
from Religious Obedience. 

The superior ma}^ be actuated bj- 
unworthy motives, or he may sin against 
prudence in giving- his commands, but the 
simple Religious can never go amiss in 
obeying* him in everything* that is not 
evidently sinful. Experience teaches that 
in reg-ard to the other virtues, satan often 
transforms himself into an angel of light, 
in order to deceive the good, but it is 
impossible to deceive those who do the 
will of God. But that it is exactly what 
the obedient Religious does at all times. 
Hence that wonderful security and peace 
of soul for which good Religious have 
always been noted. 



335 

Would it were so with f/ice, and that 
thou wert come so far that thou wert no 
longer a lover of thyself but didst stand 
wholly at My beck and that of the father, 
'whom I have set over thee; then wouldst 
thou be greatly -pleasing to Me, and thy 
whole life would pass in joy and peace. 
(Imit. b. 3. chap. 32.) 



§ 5. To what things Religious Obedience 
Extends. 

In virtue of the vow of obedience the 
Religious is obliged to obey his superior 
in all thing's appertaining to the rule or 
statutes of his order, whether expressed 
or implied. If the superior commands 
under obedience, or in the name of Christ, 
or in any other way indicating his inten- 
tion of commanding something under pain 
of mortal sin, the Religious must obey 
sub gravi even if the rule or statute cover- 
ing the pomt under command does not 
oblige under any sin. So also if an in- 
ferior should refuse obedience to his 
superior out of contempt, saying: / will 
not obey, I will not do it, to spite him I 
will not do it, he would make himself 
guilty of a mortal sin, because such words 
express contempt of legislative authority 
and irreverence towards superiors — it is 
rebellion. 



336 

The superior cannot command us under 
obedience to do thing's that are contrary 
to the rule, or above it or beneath it, 
because we promise to obey accoj'ding to 
the rule on which we make our profession. 
However, if the reason why he commands 
such things is founded upon some general 
principle, which is in conformity with the 
rule, then he can impose the obligation 
of obeying* in virtue of the vow of obedi- 
ence. For instance, a Religious can be 
commanded to nurse his sick confreres 
during* a pestilence, because the good of 
religion requires such acts of charity. 
When there is reason to doubt, whether 
an action commanded by the superior is 
also prescribed by the rule, or whether it 
be licit, the superior must receive the 
benefit of the doubt, and the Religious 
must obey, because the superior is vested 
with authority, and he is justly supposed 
to know the extent of his power and not 
to abuse it. 

The Religious superior has also a 
power, which resembles that of the father 
of a family. He is the head of the religi- 
ous family, and as such he has the power 
of regulating the affairs of his household, 
which includes the Novices. The Fourth 
Commandment requires us to obey him in 
the regulations which he may make for 
the proper government of his community. 

He has also ecclesiastical jurisdiction 



337 

like that of a Bishop over his subjects, 
and this jurisdiction also extends to the 
entire household including- the Novices, 
who are not yet bound by religious vows. 
(Antoine, p. 8., de Oblig. Relig.) 

A Religious should understand that his 
obedience is imperfect when restricted to 
those things in which his vow exacts 
obedience. Perfect obedience knows no law, 
has no limit, is not content within the 
narrow confines of religious profession, it 
extends itself to everything that is enjoined. 
(S. Bern, de Praecep. et Disp.) The truly 
obedient Religious does not niggardly 
inquire what the superior can command, 
but generously obeys in all thing's that 
the superior does command. 

§ 6. Whom we must obey in Virtue of the 
Vow of Obedience. 

We must obey our religious superiors. 
The highest superior of all Religious is 
the Pope, hence his commands take pre- 
cedence over the commands of all other 
superiors. We owe obedience not only to 
superiors, who are gentle, pious and dis- 
creet, but also to those, who are harsh, 
inconsiderate and domineering. Servants^ 
be stibject to your masters with all fear, 
not only to the good and gentle, but also 
to the froward. (I. Pet. 2, 18.) 

This is a g-eneral command intended for 



338 

all Christians, but it applies with special 
force to Religious. Christ Himself gave 
us the example, for He was obedient, even 
to heathens clothed with authority. 

To subject one's judgment and will to 
that of an indiscreet, or even malicious 
superior is an act of perfect obedience, 
difficult, it is true, but nevertheless neces- 
sary. For if subordination or obedience 
in a community, or under any govern- 
ment, were made dependent upon the 
objective justice of all commands and 
enactments of superiors and rulers, what 
confusion and litigation would result! 
How often, would our blinded self-love 
prompt us to misjudge the actions and 
motives of our superiors, and offer an 
excuse for not obeying them! Let us not 
sit in judgment over the doings of our 
superiors; we are often mistaken. Let 
us correct our own mistakes, for which 
alone we are accountable to God. We 
should manifest a spirit of obedience 
towards all members of the community; 
our vow does not exact this, but charity 
demands it. Hence S. Benedict says in 
his Rule: 7/ is not the abbot only, all the 
brethren ought to obey, for they are to obey 
one another likewise, and let them rest 
assured that by doing this they shall gain 
admittance to the Kingdom of Heaven. 
(chap. 71.) This obedience we can show 
by yielding graciously to the judgment of 



339 

others, by showing* them honor and 
respect, by following* their will, rather 
than our own, in things that are good 
or are at least not sinful. 

§ 7. Degrees of Obedience. 

The -first or lowest degree of obedience 
requires us to execute the commands of 
our superiors with the greatest exactness, 
even in their minutest details. An act 
that is in itself good, may be marred or 
entirely ruined by a single defect. 

Religious, who habituall}^ try to elude 
the directions of their superiors, by know- 
ingly misinterpreting them, or distorting 
them, or explaining them away, must not 
flatter themselves that they possess even 
this lowest degree of obedience. 

The second degree of obedience requires 
a conformity of the will with that of our 
superior, whilst we execute his command. 
A mere external obedience without an 
internal acquiescence is hypocrisy. 

There are some who, when directed 
under obedience to fill some onerous posi- 
tion, to perform some hard labor or dis- 
agreeable work of any kind, obey out- 
wardly, and materially do what they are 
told to do; but their obedience is based 
upon contemptible human fear or human 
respect; inwardly they pout and murmur 
behind the back of their superior, but in 



340 

the presence of their confreres they 
criticise the superior for giving- such com- 
mands. They become a scandal to their 
brethren and a veritable pest to the com- 
munity. They will have no reward for 
their obedience. But if on the other hand 
the disci fie submit with reluctance and 
murmuring, not only in ivord, but even in 
the heart, it is all in vain: for although 
he exteriorly -performs what was enjoined* 
God, Who sees the interior disposition of 
the heart, accepts not his obedience. (Rule 
of S. Benedict, chap. 6.) Such Religious 
cannot be happy. Obedience becomes an 
unbearable burden to them, deprived of 
all its sweetness. — 

The third degree requires us to submit 
our judgment to that of the superior, 
whenever it is not clearly apparent that 
he is doing- wrong- or commanding- some- 
thing- sinful. This is the obedience which 
S. Benedict's Rule exacts, (chap. 5.) when 
it requires us to commit ourselves to the 
g-uidance and authority of another, and 
to entertain no other wish than to submit 
in a monastery to the direction of an 
abbot. "Without this surrender of our 
judg-ment, our obedience is not a complete 
burnt-offering, for we reserve one faculty, 
the intellect. 

Pride destroys this third degree of 
obedience; for the proud refuse to be 
governed by their superiors, but always 



341 



endeavor to rule them and contradict 
them. Like the Sarabaites, they propose 
to themselves no other rule of life, than 
the gratification of their own desires; they 
believe everything* they approve of to be 
holy, and everything- they condemn, to be 
impious. They are a pest to the entire 
community, for they invariably try to 
induce others to follow their example. 

The fourth degree of obedience is found 
in those, who not only fulfill the strict 
commands of their superiors,- but also 
follow their advice, and cheerfully execute 
what they know to be pleasing to them. 
This is the obedience of dutiful children; 
it lightens the burden of superiors and is 
acceptable to God and man. 

Religious who do only that which they 
are strictly bound to do, are entirely devoid 
of this degree of obedience; they are 
stingy towards God and make themselves 
unworthy of His generosity towards them. 

The fifth and highest degree of obedience 
requires us to obey even in thing's that 
are most repugnant to nature, extremely 
difficult or morally impossible. S. Benedict 
in the 68 chap, of his Rule says: If a 
brother is commanded to do things that are 
too hard, or even impossible, he ought to 
receive the order with all mildness and 
obedience. But if he sees they surpass his 
strength * let hi?n represent to his superior 
with calmness and circumspection the cause 



342 

of his inability, and exhibit no sign of 
pride, contradiction or resistance. But if 

the superior insists, in spite of his remon- 
strance, the brother should believe that it is 
expedient for him. and reiving on the 
assistance of God, obex from a motive of 
charity. If he cannot effectually execute 
the command of his superior, let him 
show at least a good will, which has 
often been so pleasing- to God, that He 
has wrought miracles to show His ap- 
proval of it. We fail against this degree, 
if we obey promptly only in those things 
which are according to our liking, easy, 
or fraught with honor to ourselves: also 
if we plead sickness or inability in order 
to escape the injunctions of superiors, or 
receive them with disgust and execute 
them carelesslv. 

§ 8. Qualities of Religous Obedience. 

That our obedience may be pleasing to 
God it must be pronpt, without delay: 
fervent, without coldness: willing, without 
murmuring: orderly, without deviation: 
cheerful, without moroseness: resolute, with- 
out faintheartedness. (S. Bonaventure.) 
We must therefore obey: 

1. Promptly; genuine obedience brooks 
no delay or procrastination. 

2. Cheerfully : God loves the cheerful 
giver, (II. Cor. 9. 7.) A pleasant counten- 



343 

ance and a cheerful word lend much grace 
to obedience; for external signs indicate 
the interior dispositions of the heart and 
•mind. No one likes to give commands to 
one whose face is always clouded. 

3. With holy simplicity. Perfect obedi- 
ence* especially in the beginner, is very 
uninquisitive; it does not ask why the 
superior gives such or such commands, but 
only endeavors to execute faithfully what 
has been enjoined. (S. Bern, de Voto Sol.) 
We see many, z.'ho. on receiving' some 
command from the superior, ask many 
questions: why? what for? whence this 
notion? who suggested "this? Hence they 
murmur, they seek excuses, they plead 
inability, they call upon their friends to 
aid them to escape doing what is com- 
manded. This is not the obedience of 
Abraham. (S. Bern. serm. 41 de Divers.) 
Such blind obedience, like that of Abra- 
ham, is most pleasing- to God and confirmed 
by miracles; it is indispensable in every 
religious family. 

When subjects take the liberty of ques- 
tioning, criticising and censuring the 
the commands of their superiors, then 
authority amounts to nothing, there is no 
peace, no subordination, no obedience. 

4. Without choice; it should be a matter 
of absolute indifference to us what we are 
told to do. S. Basil explains this quality 
of obedience as follows: fust as a mason 



344 

or any other tradesman uses his tools as he 
pleases, so the Religious should strive to 
become a willing tool in religion, and 
allow his superior to use him at will in 
erecting the spiritual edifice; and as the 
tool does nothing in the absence of its 
owner, because its every movement is 
dependent upon him, so the Religious 
should not act independently of his super- 
tor, but should permit himself to be directed 
and governed by him in all things. (S. 
Basil in Constit. Moti.) 

5. With Humility ; only the humble can 
be truly obedient. 

6. Courageously ; by manfully putting- 
out the hand to strong- thing's, (Prow 
31, 19.) and not shrinking* from difficulties. 

7. Religiously ; with a g-ood and super- 
natural intention, believing* that God 
makes known His will through the 
superior. 

8. Carefully; not superficially, direct- 
ing- all our energies upon the work 
enjoined, and trying- to perform it as per- 
fectly as possible in every detail. 

9. Per s ever ingly ; He that shall persevere 
unto the end, he shall be saved. (Matt. 
10, 22.) 

§ 9. Murmuring. 

The pestilential vice of murmuring- 
requires special mention, because there is 



345 

nothing* so destructive of obedience, and 
nothing- more common in religions com- 
munities. Above all things let not the 
least murmuring, be the provocation what 
it 7)i ay, appear either by word or example. 
(Rule" of S. Benedict chap. 34.) 

The evils resulting- from this vice are 
unspeakably great, to the individual as 
well as to the entire community. Mur- 
murers cannot possess peace of soul; 
impatience, scorn, suspicion, hatred, and 
vindictiveness, harrass their souls day and 
nig-ht. The numberless spiritual evils are 
so apparent that they need not be 
enumerated. 

Still greater are the ravag-es of this 
vice, when we consider its effects upon 
the entire religious family. Surely the 
greatest blessing's a community can enjoy, 
flow from the harmony existing- between 
superiors and their subjects, and from the 
mutual love which the members bear to 
one another. But the vice of murmuring 
is destructive of both. It drives filial love 
towards the superior out of the hearts of 
the subjects, it engenders factions and 
cliques. Such murmurers may think them- 
selves persecuted by their superiors, or the 
superiors may be faulty in the administra- 
tion of their respective offices, but that 
does not justify their murmurings, by 
which the evil, if it exists, is not corrected 
but only magnified. 



346 

If there be just cause for complaint, 
our rule, statutes or constitutions direct 
us what to do. 

To vanquish this foe let us apply the 
following- rules: 

1. Let us curb our pride, and not yield 
to presumption, these are prolific sources 
of murmuring-. 

2. Let us not be hast)' in our judge- 
ments. The superior often has reasons 
unknown to us, and whilst we criticise 
and censure him uncharitably, he may be 
doing* what is best and most prudent 
under the circumstances. 

3. Let us bear in mind that our super- 
iors are also human, and let us not do to 
them what we would not wish others do 
unto us. 

4. Reason and charity demand that 
mistakes be corrected, or, if they cannot 
be corrected, that we cover them with 
the mantle of charity rather than divulg*e 
them, lest we disturb the peace of the 
community by useless or even sinful mur- 
muring-s. 



-:o:- 



347 
CHAPTER IV. 

The Vow of Stability. 

The three vows which we have so far 
considered, are essential to the religious 
state. They are therefore made by all 
Religious. 

Benedictines make two additional vows 
— Stability and Conversion of Morals. 

§ 1. Nature of the Vow of Sability. 

The vow of Benedictine stability is a 
deliberate ^promise made to God, to remain 
in the monastery or convent for which w^e 
have made our profession, in the observ- 
ance of religious discipline according- to 
the Rule of S. Benedict. This is the 
signification of stability as explained by 
our Holy Founder himself in the 58. chap, 
of the Holy Rule, where he says of the 
Novice admitted to profession: Let him 
(the Novice) understand that henceforth he 
is bound by the Ride and not -permitted to 
quit the monastery or shake of the yoke of 
the Ride. These words express both local 
stability and perseverance in the observ- 
ance of the Rule. The turbulent times in 
which S. Benedict lived and the fact that 
many, who called themselves monks, were 
going- about from place to place, (Holy 



348 

Rule, chap. 1.) doubtlessly suggested the 
vow of stability as a chect to the roam- 
ing* habits of the Gyrovagi and as a means 
of promoting* religious discipline. 

S. Bernard (de Praecep. et Disp.) says: 
Let the promise of stability -preclude every 
subsequent return to the world, every con- 
tentious departure from the monastery ', all 
roaming about from sheer curiosity, finally, 
all fickleness and inconstancy, 

Hildemar says: If anyone does not per- 
severe in what he has undertaken, he may 
seem to have stability, because he remains 
in the monastery, but before God he does 
not stand, he has no stability. 

This vow, therefore, calls for stability 
of mind (a resolve to live up to the Rule) 
as well as of body, and the former is the 
more important. The vow of stability 
binds the Benedictine to the . monastery of 
his profession, so that without weighty 
reasons he cannot desire or ask to join 
any other community, even though it be 
of the same Order or Congregation. The 
superior may, . for good reason^ send his 
subject to some other monastery, but only 
temporarily, and even during his absence 
such a subject retains his rights and 
privileges, he remains a member of the 
chapter, his monastery remains his home. 



349 

§ 2. Obligations assumed through the Vow of 
Stability. 

• The vow of stability obliges under mor- 
tal sin; but where it is violated in minor 
matters only, the sin is venial. Stability 
does not impose strict inclosure. In the 67. 
chap, of his Rule S. Benedict lays down 
regulations for the brethren, who go on a 
journey. But by this vow we promise not 
to leave the monastery or convent with- 
out permission. A Religious, who is 
away from his monastery by the direction 
or permission of his superior is, morally 
speaking, always at home, because he is 
always ready to return at the call of his 
superior. 

The vow of stability is violated: 

1. By returning to the world, or by 
entering a less strict Order. 

2. By leaving one Order to enter 
another equally strict or even stricter, but 
without consulting the superior, whose 
permission must be asked. 

3. By useless excursions from the 
monastery from mere curiosity. S. Bernard 
of Cassino says: / call those excursions 
useless, which serve no purpose, which are 
not under obedience which have no defined 
destination. They are actuated by curiosity 
when they are made simply to see the 
sights, to indulge in eating and drinking, 



350 

or to hear the news; such a man has no 
love for his monastery, and in his mind 
rims all over the world. Experience 
teaches what evils are caused in monas- 
teries and convents by Religious of many 
travels. By relating* what the}^ have seen 
and heard, they bring- the spirit of the 
world into the community. Hence S, 
Benedict says: Let no one presume to 
relate what lie had seen or heard outside. 
(Holy Rule chap. 67.) 

4. By fickleness and inconstancy. There 
are many who cannot, or rather do not 
want to remain long in the same place. 
They are spiritually sick, and their peri- 
grinations only intensify the malady of 
their souls; wherever the}^ g*o they find 
the source of all their troubles — they find 
themselves. Run here or there, they will 
Jind no rest, but in humble subjection under 
the rule of a superior. The fancying and 
changing of places have deceived many. 
(Imit. of Ch. b. I. c. 9.) 

Patience is necessary everywhere, for 
everywhere we find superiors who are 
human. 

Unnecessary visits to parents or friends 
in the world are also violations of stabil- 
ity and show that we are not yet dead 
to flesh and blood. Let us remember 
the words of Christ: No man putting his 
hand to the plow, and looking back, is 
fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9, 62.) 



351 

Such visits are injurious, because they 
occasion many distractions and cares. 
Someone has said: As often as I have 
been amongst men I have returned less a 
man. (Imit. of Ch. b. I. c. 20.) 

On such occasions we are apt to be less 
guarded in our conversations, we descend 
to the level of those with whom we con- 
verse, we become worldly with the worldly 
and often scandalize them. 

Among* those who violate stability we 
must also number those, who leave the 
monastic inclosure without necessity; those 
who visit the homes of seculars to gossip; 
those who ask or desire a change of 
climate for trifling reasons; those who 
find no rest in their own cells and visit 
the rooms of others to while away the 
time. 

§ 3. Reasons that may Excuse from Local 
Stability. 

1. Betterment for sonl or body. As it 
is not prejudicial to one's profession to 
leave one order to join a stricter order, 
so it is no violation of stability to go 
from one monastery to another of the 
same order, when we are actuated by a 
sincere desire and quest of perfection. 
But we must be on our guard against 
deception. Satan often transforms him- 
self into an angel of light. Hence we 



352 

should pray fervently to know the will of 
God, and take counsel with pious and 
prudent men before we take a step of 
such importance. 

When the physician orders a permanent 
change of climate to restore health or at 
least to prolong" life, the vow of stability 
may be transferred to some other monas- 
tery. 

2. Endangered salvation. If the dis- 
cipline has fallen so low that it is morally 
impossible to keep one's vows, and there 
is no prospect for its improvement, then a 
Religious may, and must go elsewhere, so 
that he may pay to God the vows which 
his* lips have uttered, (Ps. 65, 13.) and 
thus save his soul. 

3. Hatred, enmity, -persecutions, which 
a Religious may have to bear in his 
monastery may also afford a valid reason 
for asking* a chang-e. Also if a Religious 
has committed some great crime, on 
account of which he has lost his g-ood 
name in the communit} T , and, althougii he 
has sincerely repented of his fault, it is 
neither forgiven or forgotten, but is con- 
tinually cast up to him, causing* sadness 
and dejection — for such a Religious it is 
better to seek other confreres and other 
surroundings. 

4. Obedience. There is no violation of 
stability under obedience. The Abbot 
may send his subject to render assistance 



353 

in some other monastery. Examples of 
this are frequently met with in the history 
of the Order. 

The Abbot may permit some of his 
subjects to g*o elsewhere to found a new 
monastery. He may allow them to so- 
journ in some other monastery on account 
of the poverty of his own. He may send 
them to some monastery to do penance 
for some grievous crime or scandalous 
offense. Finally he may send them to 
other monasteries to introduce a reform, 
at the request of such monasteries or at 
the command of the Pope. 

That it may not be difficult for us to 
live in peace and harmony with our con- 
freres and under all kinds of superiors, 
we should observe the following* rules: 

1. Let us mortify our own judgrnent 
and self-will. 

3. Let us be humble, g-entle and kind 
towards others. Among the proud there 
are always contentions. (Prov. 13, 10.) 

3. Let us bear patiently with the faults 
and defects of others. Study to be -patient 
in bearing with the defects and infirmities 
of others, of what kind soever, because thou 
also hast matey things which others must 
bear. (Imit. of Ch. b. I. c. 16.) 

4. Let us watch ourselves, not others, 
and let us g*uard against all suspicious 
and rash judg-ment ag-ainst confreres or 
superiors. 

23 



354 

5. Let us avoid particular friendships, 
factions and talebearing* as the very pests 
of community life. 

In this way, and only in this way, will 
we have peace and contentment in our 
monasteries or convents; then only will 
we truly endear ourselves to all the mem- 
bers of our spiritual family. 

If we do not observe these rules, the 
vow of stability will soon become an un- 
bearable burden. 

§ 4. Some Regulations for such as are sta- 
tioned outside the Monastery. 

1. No difference where we may be, we 
must always be good Religious and keep 
our Holy Rule to the best of our ability. 

2. Let us never, even when we are 
travelling, omit our spiritual exercises — 
meditation, pious reading and examina- 
tion of conscience. They are absolutely 
necessary to the fulfillment of our solemn 
promise to advance from day to day in 
perfection. 

3. Let us avoid all unnecessary and 
dangerous visits. Let us be on our guard 
against everything that may savor of 
vanity in dress, of surfeiting in eating and 
drinking, of worldliness in conduct or 
speech. Let us always observe the rules 
of religious modesty. Only then will we 



355 

deserve and receive the love and esteem of 
our fellow-men — only then will we gain 
that desirable popularity, which helps us 
to work effectually in the vineyard of 
the Lord. 



-:o: 



CHAPTER V. 



The Vow of Conversion of Morals. 

§ 1. Nature of the Vow of Conversion 
of Morals. 

This vow is a deliberate promise made 
to God to conform our lives to the require- 
ments of our Rule and Statutes, to lay 
aside our evil habits and to advance from 
virtue to virtue to ascend the heights of 
perfection in divine charity. 

In virtue of this vow the Benedictine 
is not required to be perfect, but he is 
oblig-ed to strive earnestly and persever- 
ing-1}' after perfection. If he, therefore, 
from time to time commits venial sins 
and imperfections, he does not thereby 
violate his vow, for such faults are not 
incompatible with an earnest desire and 
quest of perfection. 



356 

This vow is not essentially different 
from that of obedience, in which it is 
included, and Benedictines do not promise 
anything- by this vow, which other Religi- 
ous are not required to do — all must 
strive after perfection, all must work at 
the conversion of their morals; but S. 
Benedict exacted the vow in order to 
accentuate his opposition to the manner 
of life, which the Sarabaites of his time 
had adopted, (see Holy Rule, chap. 1.) 



§ 2. Impediments to a thorough Conversion 
of Morals. 

1. Bad habits contracted in the world. 
The perverse are hard to be corrected. 
(Eccles. 1, 15.) 

2. Lax monastic discipline. When young- 
Religious fresh from the Novitiate, see 
the carelessness and indifference of their 
elder brethren, they will soon lose their 
first fervor unless they determine to stand 
like a wall of brass ag-ainst the current. 

3. Frequent intercourse with the world. 
As the Jews, when they were mingled 
with the heathens, soon learned their 
works, (Ps. 105, 35.) so the Religious, 
who ming-les freely with the world, will 
soon put on worldly habits and manners. 

4. Over- occupation in external things, 



357 

and consequent neglect of spiritual ex- 
ercises. 

5. Want of good will. A good will 
and the grace of God are all that is neces- 
sary to lead a good life. (S. Bernard.) 



ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE RULE, 

The Rule is the norm according- to which 
the Religious must regulate his life. We 
are true Religious only in so far as we 
observe the Rule. 

But the obligation of observing the 
Rule does not spring directly from the 
Rule itself, but from the vows we have 
made. In our religious profession we 
promise to obey, to be chaste and poor, 
not in any general or indefinite way, but 
according to the Rule, Hence the Rule 
specifies in detail how we are to observe 
our vows. 

Bearing in mind that the whole obliga- 
tion of keeping the Rule has its source in 
the religious profession or vows, we may 
lay down the following principles: 

1. In those things, which appertain to 
the vows, we are obliged to observe the 
Rule under pain of sin — mortal or venial 
according to the matter — because we 



358 

have vowed poverty, chastit} 7 and obedi- 
ence, (stability and conversion of morals) 
according- to the Rule. 

2. In those things, which are essential 
to the religious life and discipline, we are 
obliged under pain of sin to observe the 
Rule, because ' we have assumed the 
obligation of striving- after religious per- 
fection. 

3. In thing's that are not essential to 
the attainment of religious perfection, as 
well as in those which are only counsels, 
we are not oblig-ed under sin to observe 
the Rule. 

4. The superior can command under 
obedience and under sin whatever is con- 
tained in the Rule, even in thing's that 
are only counselled, because we have 
vowed to obey him in all thing's that are 
according- to the Rule. 

5. To violate the Rule from contempt 
is always sinful. 

6. To violate the Rule in such a way 
as to give scandal is also sinful. 

A g-ood Religious will not content him- 
self with that observance of the Rule, 
which borders on sin. He will be g-ener- 
ous in his service of God, and endeavor to 
conform his life as closely as possible to 
his Rule, knowing- that it is the expres- 
sion of the divine will in his reg-ard. It 
is hy performing- works of supererog-ation 
that we attest the intensity of our love 



359 

to God and add lustre to our crown in 
heaven. 

Let us conclude with the words of 

•Bernard of Cassino: Let us observe our 
Holy Rule even in its minutest details, and 
being eve?' mindful of our salvation, let its 
consider nothing as trivial or do anything 

from mere routine. For whosoever is 
negligent in little things, renders himself 
utterly unworthy of God^s higher gifts; 
whereas he that is faithful in little things, 
will receive a superabundance of spiritual 
gifts and graces. 






& 



U. I. 0. G. D. j|j» 



